Nemesis
by Stellar Phantasm
Summary: When a Pikachu is forced to protect a Mew from the machinations of those out to capture her for themselves, he finds himself thrust into an adventure and a role that may be beyond his capabilities.
1. Chapter 1

Silently, I snuck through the streets of the city, keeping my eyes peeled for both opportunities to fill my stomach and obstacles to that goal. However, as I darted through bushes and behind trashcans, I found neither. My patience was wearing thin and soon people would be waking up. I had to either find a suitable target in the next fifteen minutes or start foraging for berries. Suddenly, two aromas wafted into my nose: the smell of fresh produce, and of humans. I focused on the former, following it into a nearby alley. I saw a trashcan nearly overflowing with refuse, but that wasn't the source of these delicious smells, which were growing fainter by the moment. Besides, it was going to be a dark day if I started digging through dumpsters for my meals. My eyes caught sight of a steel door closing and my other sense told me that the food was beyond it.

Well, I was not about to miss out on this bounty. I poured all of my energy into dashing towards the closing door. With each sound of my paws hitting the ground, I felt my window of opportunity shrink. But I was only going to get one shot at this and it had to work. When I felt the distance was just right, I leapt at the shrinking opening between door and frame, putting every ounce of stamina that remained into my hind legs and made the jump. I had a brief flicker of doubt that I would make it, but as I sped through the air, I felt no abrupt stop or rush of pain that one would associate with hitting a metal door at high speed. Instead, my paws hit a tiled floor and I scrambled to gain purchase on the slick, freshly mopped surface. I was wholly impressed with my feat and took a few seconds to bask in my pride, until my crowing was cut short by the door closing on my tail.

I bit my tongue and grimaced to prevent myself from crying out in pain. Any sound could alert any humans in here to my presence. So slowly I pushed back against the door, grunting until it opened just a crack more and my tail could be pulled free. After I retrieved my appendage, I waited until I heard the click that meant that the door had been secured. The sound was painfully loud to my nervous ears, but no alarm was raised and no human came to investigate. I gave a sigh of relief and decided to take a look around and see if there was any food ripe for the picking.

The room I was currently in was nothing more than a hallway leading to the alley I had entered from. No, there was nothing of interest in here to me. But beyond this room, the smell of food was overpowering and I knew at once that my hunger would be satisfied. Cautiously, I stepped into a large, brightly lit area. Aisles full of food stretched from one end to the other, and I guessed that I must be in a supermarket or a fallout shelter. Either way, the owners probably wouldn't miss a couple of apples, or a few boxes of crackers, or a jar of peanut butter. Or all of the above. My stomach growled. It had been awhile since I had such a variety of choices. The key, I had to remind myself, was not to get too greedy. I would eat my fill and take some extra food for later. With any luck, I could keep coming back over the next few days until they discovered me or ran out of food, whichever came first.

There was not much time though, so I hastily made my way over to the rows of fresh fruit and dived headfirst into a pile of juicy red apples. I grasped the first one in both of my paws and sank my teeth into the fruit, resulting in a loud crunch that was both satisfying and the loudest noise in the whole store. With the delicious taste of apple in my mouth, any worries about being discovered were pushed from my mind, and I finished the fruit and shoved its core deep into the pile, hiding the evidence of my theft. Then, wiping away the juice that had leaked onto my face, I started in on the next piece of fruit. I continued my feast, finishing off at least half a dozen more apples and bloating myself on sweet fruit.

After I had eaten my fill, I hopped onto the floor of the store. My stomach may have been full, but I was willing to keep an open mind about dessert and see what I had to choose from. Besides, I could always take it with me as a back-up plan if the restaurants and few tourists were not in a very generous mood. So, I perked up my ears and listened for any signs of life besides myself. From what I gathered, there were very few people in the store, but none of them were close enough to provide any real danger of discovery. Satisfied, I wandered from aisle to aisle, looking for something to treat my sweet tooth with. There was a row of shelves that claimed to specialize in Pokémon toys, food, and treats, but one whiff and I was onto the next aisle.

Scanning the other aisles and searching for something both delicious and easy enough to carry back to the forest where I lived, I was about to settle for some sour cream and onion potato chips when I saw it. My jaw dropped open and my eyes widened. I never thought that I would see it again, not after the class action lawsuit, but there it was. I dropped to all fours and scampered to the object of my affection to gaze upon its glory. My paws extended slowly towards the brown cardboard box that housed my favorite cereal: Double Diglett Bites, now with fifteen percent more marshmallows for a limited time only.

I clutched the box close to me, content with my prize, but this moment of tranquility was shattered by the sound of footsteps echoing off of the polished floor. I was in the middle of the breakfast foods aisle with nowhere to hide. Combining the data from my ears with a couple of sniffs of my powerful nose, I discerned that there was a human less than two aisles away and quickly closing in. I had no choice but to make a dash for it. Hopefully, I could get away without a trace and with my Double Diglett Bites and survive to pilfer again. I clutched the brown box to my chest with one paw and dropped down on my other three and ran to the far end of the aisle and ducked around the corner, seconds before the human passed my aisle. Relieved, I leaned myself against a two-for-one special on family-sized cereal boxes, panting to catch my breath.

But my respite was cut short as the footsteps abruptly stopped, and then began again, this time drawing nearer instead of fading in volume. I was frozen by nerves until I heard them turn into the aisle I had just left. Discovery was almost inevitable now, unless I could make a very speedy escape. Preparing to risk it, I crouched low and shifted the weight of the Double Diglett Bites only to hear a young woman's voice shouting. I looked behind me, confused why I had been discovered early and saw my tail was jutting out from behind my cover. The troublesome appendage was beginning to get on my nerves, but self-mutilation would have to be considered another time. Right now, I had to salvage the situation, otherwise I would find myself put in a pound until someone decided I would make the perfect gift to some obnoxious kid with delusions of being a Pokémon trainer.

Well, there was no way I would let the happen, so I stepped into the open space, revealing myself to my opponent, a teenage female who appeared to put more effort into her appearance than was necessary. Our eyes met and narrowed as we each measured our options. I had no need to resort to violence, but time was not on my side considering that any commotion would be likely to draw a crowd. Most humans did not pose much of a challenge on their own, it was only in numbers that they became an issue. Hopefully she didn't want a scene any more than I did, but either way I was confident in my ability to escape. I had spent much of my life on the streets, I could take one gangly clerk.

The human made the first move, leaping at me with surprising speed. I guess she was hoping to subdue me with her size and strength, but unfortunately for her, it was just what I had expected. I tucked my cereal to my chest and dived out of the way, recovering with a graceful roll. The female was less elegant and hit the tile with a dull thud and a groan. I grinned at her stunned form and thought about grabbing another piece of food off of the shelf. I figured that she had been humiliated enough though, so I dropped to the ground and rushed to the front door. "Somebody stop that Pikachu!" she cried, but it was too late. The few people near the check-out area were too far away and too stunned to even make an attempt to apprehend me. So, I gave the sprawled-out human a grin and swaggered up to the door, my Double Diglett Bites under my arm.

I pushed on the glass, but it didn't budge. I pushed a little harder, but still nothing. My ears twitched, picking up the sound of the girl getting to her feet. Sweating, I continued to frantically pound my free paw on the door, but to no avail. When I turned to check on the human, I saw her advancing toward me slowly, a smile spreading across her face. I abandoned trying to get the door open and instead shrunk up against it, trying to think of a way to get out of the situation I had found myself in. The grocery store's customers had drawn closer to witness the showdown, cutting off most of my plans of escape. I closed my eyes as the girl took another step closer. My only way out would be to use my electrical attacks. I started to charge up, feeling warmth flood my cheeks like reuniting with an old friend as sparks started to dance across their crimson surface. I opened my eyes, ready to launch my attack, but as soon as the clerk stepped onto the carpeted mat I was standing on, and I felt a whoosh of air as the door behind me opened up.

Startled, I fell backward, narrowly dodging the outstretched manicured hands and leaving them grasping empty air. For the moment, I was in relative safety. Now it was time to keep the trend going. First, I heaved my box of cereal into the air, and then I embraced my descent, turning my fall into a somersault and plucking the Diglett Bites out of the air as I recovered. Finally, sinking back down to all fours, I ran from the grocery store and back to my home in the forest to the north. My heart beat a tattoo into my chest as I ducked and swerved between pedestrians, vehicles, and other obstacles. I had almost been caught. Even if I had my prize, that fact still remained. Maybe it was because I was getting sloppy, or, even worse, old. As I mulled this over, I reached the edge of the city limits, marked by an oppressively cheerful sign marked in high block letters, "You Are Now Leaving Viridian City, Please Come Again!" Beyond it lay the vast expanse of forest that I, and many other Pokémon, called home.

Not that I had much dealing with the others. They all seemed to be content to stay within the forest, eat a diet of leaves and berries, and wait for some human to come traipsing along and capture them. Not me. That was not the only thing we didn't see eye-to-eye on, and so, after a few scrapes, I moved my home far away from the rest of them. Because they were wary of humans, the farthest I could get from them was just on the edge of the forest, where the pavement and grasses were cut off by a thick cordon of trees. I had found a nice little nook just inside the woods, bordered by thick brambles and a heavy canopy above. I was safe there, no one bothered me, and no one knew of my hidden spot.

At least that was what I thought until I squeezed past the thorns and saw her floating just a few inches off of the grass that served as my living room. "Oh, hello!" she said, turning to me with a swish of her pink tail. "I'm Mew."


	2. Chapter 2

I made no effort to hide my disbelief, opting instead to fix this intruder with a withering stare. "You're telling me that you're Mew."

"That's right!" she chirped.

"Mew, the Legendary Pokémon, one of the children of Arceus?"

The pink creature giggled at that, "Well, technically a goddess." I was not fazed and she finally seemed to pick up on this. "Don't you believe me?" she asked, cocking her head to one side.

I scoffed as I moved to put my hard-won cereal into a small cellar fashioned underneath the rock I used as a table. "Frankly, no. You're just confused, and most likely lost. Maybe you hit your head on one of those branches and woke up with delusions of grandeur."

"Have you ever seen a Pokémon like me before?" she argued, doing a brief circle around my head as if to accentuate her point.

"No," I conceded, "but there are countries and continents that I've never been to with Pokémon I can't even begin to imagine." She continued to lazily loop around me, so I took an angry swat, missing her pink tail by inches. "It's a lot easier to believe that you're some insane foreigner than a god."

"Goddess," she said absent-mindedly, as her focus, and soaring, had ceased. Instead, she hovered in front of me, studying me with her big blue eyes. Finally she said, "You're not like them, are you?"

"You mean there are other Pokémon whose homes you've broken into?"

She ignored my retort. "You don't talk like them." Then she paused before speaking again, "And you don't think like them either."

"Who?" I asked, my anger starting to ebb slightly in favor of curiosity.

"Wild Pokémon," the stranger said, flashing me a brief smile. "What's your story?" she queried. I made a motion to respond, rudely, but the words stopped in my throat as I noticed that she was not paying the slightest attention to me. Her eyes were closed and her hovering was now colored by a faint bob, moving her pink body up and down against the green backdrop of the forest. Just as I was about to move away, a harsh pink glow started emanating from her body, creating a stark outline around her gently moving figure. Then, the Pokémon claiming to be Mew opened her eyes, but instead of the blue eyes that she had possessed before, both of her eyes were glowing with the same harsh pink light. They fixed on me, and I suddenly felt a pressure on my head. The pain was emanating from between where my ears jutted out, but somehow underneath the protective layers of fur and skin. I did not know how to describe it then, and even now, the closest thing that I could relate it to was as if someone was attempting to open up my skull from the inside with two shovels and was content to take all of the time in the world to do so. I clutched my temples, but the feeling only seemed to intensify before the pressure was accompanied by the feeling of something oozing its way into where the crack in my head would be.

That's when I realized what this Pokémon was trying to do, and in addition to the pain, I felt a surge of anger. I decided to focus on the latter feeling and felt my fur bristle and my cheeks grow warm as sparks danced over their crimson surfaces. "Get out of my head!" I cried, punctuating the last word with a blast of electricity aimed at my psychic interloper.

"Oh," she squeaked out as the glow around her expanded into a bubble, meeting my attack and deflecting it to the sky. The bolt of lightning rose like a beacon, blowing an opening in the canopy of leaves over us. Gazing up at the breach my attack had made, she whispered, "What have you done?"

"I defended myself," I muttered. Taking a rueful look at the rays off light that were trickling with greater strength with the removal of their obstacle, I added, "And tore a hole in my roof."

I was surprised when the psychic Pokémon turned to me, her blue eyes wide and fearful. "You don't understand," she babbled, "they'll be coming now."

"Who?"

She either did not hear me, or ignored me, instead continuing to speak, "I have to go, I have to run. They'll be coming soon." She stopped, before picking up again, a note of hysteria creeping into her voice, "They're already coming. Can't you hear them?"

Frowning, I tilted my head and tried to tune out the strange Pokémon hovering in my home. I opened my senses to the sounds of the forest. Sure enough in addition to the usual chattering and chirping of Pokémon, there was a new sound, a faint whirring coming from the south and growing louder. It sounded like a lawnmower being run on overdrive. Shaking my head, I returned to the hyperventilating and possibly insane creature and asked, "Who are 'they' exactly?"

"There's no time to explain," she said, and for one brief moment she seemed to be the picture of calm. "I'm sorry," said the strange creature, and then she was gone, zipping north through the forest as a pink blur, her speed causing grass to be kicked up as she flew.

I was left puzzled by the odd encounter. Briefly, I tried to replay the scene in my mind, until I remembered the whirring noise. It had continued to grow louder, and was now accompanied by a rhythmic thumping that shook the younger branches of the forest's trees. My instincts told me to run for it just as my uninvited guest had, but another part of me was more curious than afraid. I shot a glance at my stockpile of food, topped by the newest sugary addition. No. I was not going to open the door for some enterprising thief to take from me what was rightfully mine. I steeled myself as the approaching sounds grew louder and louder.

Then, the sound stopped. Still unsure that the threat had passed, I took a cautious step toward the edge of my clearing. I was rewarded by a large green shape bursting from the brambles, tackling me to the ground before I could even utter a cry. My mind struggled to catch up with the circumstances I had found myself in. I was lying on my back, with a large Pokémon standing over me, holding some kind of blade held to my throat. My eyes came to focus on this latest trespasser's sharp, reptilian face, the angular features of which were contorted into a strange combination of disappointment and a sneer. The oddest thing though was the presence of a small red lens fit over its left eye and secured to the side of its head. "False alarm," she said, relaxing her weapon only slightly.

"Well, let it go then," a smooth male voice said, and I struggled to turn my head to the area of undergrowth from which my attacker had emerged. A Hitmonchan and a Snorlax, each fitted with headpieces similar to that worn by their companion, stood at the end of an incredible swathe torn through the forest. I couldn't be sure, but the devastation to the vegetation appeared to stretch all the way to the edge of the woods in a straight line. "Falchion, now," the former commanded again with a little more force this time.

The green Pokémon growled, but reluctantly stepped back, giving me room to get to my feet. I gave her a once over. I had been attacked by a Scyther, a rare Pokémon for these parts. Come to think of it, all three of them were out of place, not only geographically speaking, but also in their demeanor and stances, not to mention the strange devices affixed to their heads. These did not seem like wild Pokémon.

"I apologize for my companion's overzealous greeting," the Fighting-type Pokémon said, the words flowing easily from his lips, "but we are on the trail of someone and thought that you might be them."

"No friend of yours, I'm guessing," I grumbled, rubbing the back of my head where it had hit the ground.

"No, not quite." The Hitmonchan smiled. "Please, allow me to introduce us. My name is Blackjack, and these," he continued with a gesture to the others, "are Club and Falchion. And you are?"

"Wondering why you're still bothering me," I said.

"He's snotty," the Scyther said, "can we just kill him?"

"I haven't had Pikachu in a long time," the Snorlax added.

"Enough!" their leader said, losing his professional façade in a flash of anger. He recovered quickly though. "Let's give him a chance to tell us what he knows."

"What do you want to know?" I asked gruffly.

"We're on the trail of the Legendary Pokémon Mew," the humanoid Pokémon said, his smile returning, "and we tracked it to this location. Where is it?"

I took in the trio before me carefully. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Blackjack's smile hardened. "So, can you explain that bolt of lightning we saw earlier?" he asked, gesturing to the hole in the leaves above us with a red boxing glove.

"There was a Weedle that was bugging me, so I dealt with it," I said coolly.

"I think he's lying," the Snorlax said.

"Definitely," agreed Falchion, before adding, "I think we should teach him some manners."

The larger Pokémon grinned. "I like the sound of that."

"Now, now," the Hitmonchan said, "let's give him one more chance to be honest with us." He took a step towards me and said, "Where is Mew? Don't be difficult now."

"Come any closer, and I'll show you how difficult I can be."

Blackjack grimaced and nodded at me. "Kill him."

I was not about to give them the chance. While Falchion and Club were preparing to attack, I quickly spun in a circle, letting a shower of stars to erupt from my tail as it completed its arc. While his followers shielded themselves from the barrage, the Fighting-type decided to counter my attack with one of his own. One of his gloves became engulfed in fire and he shot it forward in a quick jab that disrupted the flow of stars coming at him and also sent out a spray of sparks that landed on the grass around us. He smiled as he surveyed the few small fires that had started on the grass, dry from the long summer months they had just endured. "That's actually not a bad idea," he said. Blackjack then turned to the Snorlax. "Club, we're burning the forest down."

The Normal-type Pokémon's annoyance at my attack evaporated as a confused expression overtook his pudgy face. "Why would we do that?" he asked.

"So we can flush out Mew, you idiot," Falchion contributed.

"Oh, but what about the Pikachu?"

"Let him go, we can't lose sight of our goal," the Hitmonchan said. Again he lit up his fist with a fiery aura. "After all, what's more important: a single Pikachu or the legendary Mew?" He did not wait for an answer before sending his fist into the nearest tree, cracking the trunk in two with a deafening snap and causing its insides to erupt in flames. Club did not need any further encouragement and began breathing a large stream of fire onto the surrounding bushes and other plant life. "Run while you can, little Pikachu," Blackjack said before punching another tree in half.

I watched the flames grow larger and the smoke rise from the dying plants, shocked at the lengths this trio was willing to go through in order to find this alleged Mew. I began to run, partially to escape the devastation being inflicted on not only my home but the Viridian Forest as a whole. I also needed to try and catch up with the stranger I had encountered earlier. Whether or not she really was Mew, these Pokémon seemed to think that she was, and I felt some responsibility to tell her about my encounter with Blackjack, Falchion, and Club. So I ran from the flames, never once looking back. There would be nothing left for me in the ashes.


	3. Chapter 3

After emerging from the forest and clearing my smoke-filled lungs, I took in the sight before me. A stretch of highway spread into the horizon as far as my eyes could see, with the winking red lights of sirens and the telltale wail of emergency vehicles drawing nearer, summoned by the blaze I had escaped from. Focused on these sights and sounds, I was unprepared for the tap on my shoulder and nearly jumped out of my fur. Spinning around, I found myself face-to-face with the same pink Pokémon I had encountered in the forest.

"Are you okay?" she asked, seemingly oblivious to the effect that she had on me. "I saw the fire, and I was-"

I interrupted her concern with a surprised series of wracking coughs. "I'm fine, no thanks to you," I said after recovering. "Those three Pokémon really meant business. What did you do to piss them off?"

The floating creature offered me a sympathetic smile, but nothing more.

"Fine, whatever. I honestly don't need to get involved in any of this," I said, beginning to walk towards the road. The firefighting vehicles had finally made it to the forest and the humans who emerged were attempting to put out the inferno with the aid of their Water-type Pokémon. It was a noble cause, but looked to be a futile effort. In fact, the only noticeable effect of the whole struggle seemed to be backing up traffic on the highway with a long line of honking vehicles voicing their displeasure at the situation. I gave the impromptu convoy a once-over before deciding on a large gray moving van marked with the familiar logo of "Machoke Movers, the friendly company!" The driver had left his vehicle unattended in order to have a heated dispute with the driver of the small sedan behind him.

The two humans were so engrossed in their argument that they failed to notice me crawling onto the rear of the van and lifting up the rear door. Before I could climb inside though, I saw the pink Pokémon I had encountered in the forest staring at me blankly from behind a sign.

_What are you doing?_ I heard in my head.

The surprise of being communicated with telepathically caused me to release my grip on the door and it fell onto my paws. Stifling a cry of pain, I thought as angrily as I could, _Getting out of here, what does it look like?_

_Can I join you?_ came the response, the psychic Pokémon apparently oblivious to my annoyance. _I need to get away from those Pokémon you met in the forest._

_I can't stop you,_ I muttered in my head as I redoubled my efforts on lifting the door before I was sighted. Just as I ducked my head under the door, I caught sight of another Pikachu running towards the van. She evaded the humans arguing outside before leaping onto the back of the van, scrambling a bit to make up for the miscalculation of her trajectory. She made it in alright and gave me a smile.

_Alright, where are we going?_

I turned to the other Pokémon in the van in shock. "Mew?"

_Yes?_

"Is that you?"

_Yes,_ I heard in my head. _What do you think?_ she broadcast as the Pikachu gave a quick spin.

"You didn't have to possess a Pikachu!" I shouted. "You could have just gotten in yourself!"

_What? Oh, no,_ came the voice again and the Pikachu I had found myself admiring began to change before my eyes. Her fur lost its color and then began to drip off of her in great globs before the rest of her body followed, melting into a pink gelatinous-looking pile. I was about to heave up my breakfast into a nearby cardboard box when the goo began to shift again, reshaping itself into the more familiar shape of the Pokémon who I had met this morning. _Tada!_ she broadcast with a flourish of her tail.

"I think I'm going to be sick," I muttered, turning my back to her and grabbing a seat on an ugly floral print couch that was being hauled.

_What?_ the psychic Pokémon thought as she flew over to me. _I thought it would be better to blend in when humans were around._

I shifted on my perch as the van began to move. "It's still really weird, and kind of gross to be honest," I said. When I looked back to her, her blue eyes were downcast. Suppressing a pang of guilt, I decided to change the subject. "So, do you mind switching back to talking out loud instead of the telepathy thing you're doing?"

_Oh!_ "I mean, 'oh!'" she said, giggling a bit. "I didn't even realize I was doing that! It just feels so natural the other way though. I mean, don't you get tired moving your mouth around so much?"

"Not in recent memory," I replied. My eyes scanned the contents of the van we were in. It looked like someone was moving. Not only were there the vases and the couch, but there were the disassembled pieces of some bedframes and two mattresses pushed toward the back and some other miscellaneous furniture as well. We were not exactly traveling in first class accommodations, but it could have been a lot worse.

My train of thought was derailed by a sudden prick in the back of my head. I turned to see that my worst fears confirmed; my fellow passenger's eyes were glowing pink and she was surrounded by the same aura from earlier. "What do you think you're doing?" I barked, shocking her out of her trance.

"Oh, sorry!" she said shyly. "I was trying to figure out where we were headed."

"So ask me!"

"Um, where are we going?"

"Pewter City," I said with a sigh.

"What's that?"

"It's the biggest city near the Pokémon League and the Johto border. I normally only make it up there for special items, but it's prosperous enough that it shouldn't be too hard to set up a new life there." I shot a glance at the pink Pokémon floating beside me. "There's also a lot of people and Pokémon, so that might be able to help you lose those Pokémon who are following you."

She smiled at my weak attempt to help her out, but said nothing and we sat in silence as the moving van continued down the highway to Pewter City.

I broke the impasse first. "When you tried to read my mind earlier, it didn't hurt as bad. How come?"

"Well, just now I only wanted to find out where we were going," she said, "but back in the forest I tried to learn everything about you." She stopped floating to sink into the couch's cushions. "I guess I went too far."

I could not help but grimace at the understatement. "Yeah, you could say that."

"It's strange," the psychic said, "talking like this, having a conversation."

"Well, I can't say I've been having a lot of them myself," I admitted. "It's pretty easy to get the hang of it though." We sat for a while longer. "What did you want to know about me when we first met?"

"Like I said, everything really," she said. "Who you are, what you've seen, where you're going."

"So then, you must have plenty of questions for me?"

Mew smiled. "I guess so," she said, "how about: what's your name?"

"I'm-" I started, before pausing, trying to figure out how to word my answer.

"I thought that would be a pretty easy one," the pink Pokémon teased.

I ignored her though, finally settling on my wording. "I call myself Ezekiel, Zeke for short."

"Zeke? It's an odd name," my travel companion said thoughtfully, "but it fits you."

"Glad you approve," I muttered. "Any more questions?"

"Nope," she chirped.

"What? I thought you wanted to know everything about me."

"Oh, I still do," she said, a large grin spreading across her pink-furred face, "but I think I'll get plenty of information just by spending time with you."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I already know that you're not a wild Pokémon and that you've had some experience battling, for starters."

I swallowed nervously. "Uh, that's not what I was talking about. I meant what do you mean by saying that you'll be spending time with me?"

"Well, I was just hoping that you'd be willing to help me get used to living in a big city."

"That's a mighty big assumption," I grunted, but upon chancing a glance at the psychic Pokémon's face, I saw her near-perpetual grin start to falter. Luckily, the van stopped moving so I was saved from trying to make amends, for the moment at least. Hopping off the couch, I made my way to the door at the back of the van. Lifting it up with a grunt of exertion, I peeked outside and saw the streets and buildings of downtown Pewter. "This is our stop," I offered.

"Alright, let's go," came a new voice. When I turned around, I saw that the pink form of Mew had been replaced with a fellow Pikachu. Ignoring my brief flash of confusion, she leisurely strolled past me and hopped out of the stopped van. With a shrug, I followed after.

"So, where to?" Mew asked.

"I have a little place in the city," I said. "I guess you can come with me until you get something figured out."

The transformed Pokémon practically leapt into my arms. "Really? You mean it?"

"Yeah, yeah," I said as I gently extracted myself from her embrace.

"Great! Let's go!" she said, and bounded down the street. She quickly returned however. "I think you'll need to lead the way," she admitted sheepishly.

I smiled in spite of myself. "Come on, follow me." I led her through a series of alleys and avenues, attempting to stay unencumbered by the throngs of humans massing in the streets. I focused most of my attention on Mew and making sure she didn't get lost, but I was still able to pick up snippets of conversation. The usual concerns about the political situation in Hoenn and the growing tensions with Johto were still there, but paled in comparison to talk of the fire that had ravaged the Viridian Forest. Some were even saying that the area would never recover. I tried to ignore the gnawing feeling that what had happened was my fault, but it wasn't easy.

"What's wrong?" the Pokémon following me asked.

"You're not trying to read my mind again, are you?"

"I don't need psychic powers to see that you're upset."

"I was just thinking," I quickly lied, "if you can transform into other Pokémon, why not just stay like that until those guys stop following you?"

"Well, first of all I can only stay in a different form for two hours before I get stuck like that and can't turn back," she explained, "but even if I could, I think they have some way of tracking me even when I do my best to lose them."

"That must be what those red devices on their eyes were for," I said more to myself than to her. We walked along in silence for a while longer before we finally reached the Pewter City Pokémon Gym. "Here we are," I announced.

"This is where you live?" Mew asked, her voice colored by awe.

"Well, underneath it at least, but it's still prime real estate," I said, making my way over to a pile of loose rubble and wooden boards against the side of the gym. With some effort, I cleared the debris away to reveal an unlocked window to the gym's basement. "Come on, before someone sees."


	4. Chapter 4

The next few days passed by rather uneventfully. I managed to make the adjustment to living in Pewter City full-time without too much difficulty. Most days were spent going on excursions to fetch food or other supplies. Sometimes I was accompanied by Mew, who was careful to remain in her Pikachu guise whenever we ventured out. The fact was that I was hosting a guest for any period of time required some changes. More and more trips were needed to feed two mouths instead of one. Luckily, after some initial resistance, Mew was growing to tolerate and even enjoy the taste of the pilfered human cuisine that made up a sizable portion of my diet.

Her impact was not limited to just food though. In order to accommodate her, I gave Mew her pick of sleeping arrangements. Naturally, she decided on my bed, an old mattress apparently abandoned by the Gym Leader, leaving me to spend fitful nights on a lumpy bean bag chair. The surface I was trying to sleep on was about the only simulation I received once the sun went down though. Not take long after evening fell the pink Pokémon I was playing host to would go across the room to fall asleep. I was curious about her, but after watching her go comatose night after night and waking up each morning to find her in the same position, I figured that she needed the rest more than I needed information. I only then got the faintest inkling of just how long she had been running from the trio of Pokémon I had met in the forest.

There were more selfish reasons for my leaving her alone though. Any sustained conversation might lead to her asking me questions about myself, and not all of those answers were ones I wanted to relive. Plus, there was the possibility that the subject would come up of when exactly she would start living on her own. While I had been clear that the current situation was just a temporary fix when it was first brought up, I was not sure that she was ready to be alone in the city. Plus, it had been somewhat nice not spending all of my days by myself. Even though she was still a Pokémon, Mew had a way of brightening my day and I wanted that for just a little longer before driving her away. Obviously I kept all of these thoughts and concerns to myself though. There was no reason to share them. None at all.

I awoke one day to find the mattress bare and Mew floating around the basement, using her psychic powers to rearrange furniture causing both herself and the various items to be surrounded with a pink glow. "What do you think you're doing?" I asked, some amusement creeping into my annoyance despite my best efforts.

"Oh!" she said with a start, causing the furniture to fall. It was only then that I noticed that the bean bag chair I had been resting on was also being lifted by the psychic Pokémon. I hit the ground with a whump, but was unharmed. "Sorry, Zeke," she whispered.

"It's fine," I said, getting to my feet. "What are you doing?"

"Oh, I just decided that it might be nice if there was a rhyme and reason to our place and everything wasn't just haphazardly thrown around."

"Maybe I like my mess where it is," I muttered, picking up a few books that had fallen off of a shelf when it was dropped. I thought about saying something about her usage of "our place", but I decided that it probably was just a slip of the tongue. Instead I turned the topic to the day ahead. "What do you want to do today?"

"Well, do we have enough food?"

Sparing a glance toward the veritable mountain of foodstuffs in the corner of the basement, I gave her a nod. She lounged in midair and was thinking when I was struck by an idea of my own. "Look, we don't need an excuse to get out and about," I said. "Why not just go somewhere just for fun?"

"Okay!" she exclaimed with a joyous loop. "Where are we going?"

Again I found that I could not help but grin at her infectious enthusiasm. "Don't worry about it. Just grab some food and follow me." While she set about transforming into a Pikachu and complying with my request, I made my way to the window that served as the entrance to my humble abode. Climbing onto a large bookshelf full of moth-eaten manuals for raising Pokémon, I lifted myself up to the glass and peered out at the world beyond it. The coast appeared to be clear, so I gingerly opened the window and squeezed myself through the portal. Once clear, I continued to hold it open, letting my guest toss me the food she had picked out. A bag of chips, an apple, a loaf of bread, and some peanut butter would be our lunch today. When she was outside, I gently closed the window, and we gathered up the food and headed out.

I made sure we stuck to the backstreets, the little-used alleys, and the avenues that were under construction in order to avoid the questions that would have been raised if someone saw two Pikachu carrying things like peanut butter. All the way Mew asked me where we were headed, but I just told her to be patient, which naturally caused her to grow even more insistent in her questioning. Just when it seemed like she would burst from curiosity, I told her we had arrived.

"Zeke, what is this place?" she asked, peering through the chain-link fence before us.

"Just trust me, alright?" I said, before lobbing the chips and the loaf of bread over the fence with twin grunts of effort.

"What did you do that for?" asked my companion in alarm.

Instead of answering her, I lifted up the corner of the fence and passed under it, holding it up so that she could do the same.

Instead of being satisfied the questions continued. "Why is this area sectioned off?"

"Humans are planning on building a new wing to the science museum over there," I said, gesturing lazily before scooping up the chips and bread and heading up the grassy hill.

"How do you know that?"

"I just do, alright?" I muttered, focusing on working my way up the incline. Mew seemed to get the hint from that and was silent until we reached the top, but even then if she had wanted to speak, no words would have come out. The view from the top of the hill was amazing. Pewter City was stretched out before us like a map. People and Pokémon moved about their business through the maze of urban planning, seemingly unaware of just how small of cogs they were in this living organism called a city.

"Wow," the other Pokémon finally spoke and then lapsed back into silent awe.

I let her enjoy the view a little longer while I opened the bag of chips and broke off pieces of bread to scoop peanut butter with.

"I can feel all of them," she said reverently.

"I'm glad you like it," I responded, handing her a piece of bread. She ate it quietly, going through the motions of eating while her real attention was all being paid to the cityscape laid out before her. As I continued to eat, I passed her more food, and she would take each piece, but continued to devote herself more to looking out at Pewter and its inhabitants. This went on for a while before without warning her blank expression contorted into a look of sudden pain.

"What's wrong?"

"They're here," she got out from in-between clenched teeth.

"Who?" I asked before the answer came to me with a horrible realization. As I looked down the hill, the picturesque view was spoiled by a series of commotions where a large blue-black figure and two smaller figures, one tan and one green, were pushing past others. It did not take long for me to realize that the path they were taking was leading them straight to the gym. "Then it's not safe for you here either," I muttered, but when I looked at Mew, she was still closing her eyes and gritting her teeth against whatever she was sensing. I reached out and shook her gently. "Hey, you've got to get out of here."

That snapped her out of whatever trance she had been in. "Where can I go though?"

I pointed with one small yellow paw to the east. "See those mountains?" I said. "There's a path that leads the rest of the country. You might be able to buy some time if you go that way."

"What should I take with me?" she asked, her eyes filled with a kind of helplessness that I had not expected from a legendary Pokémon.

"Nothing, it'd be too dangerous to spend time getting supplies. Besides, there will be food in the foothills of the mountain, even though it might not be barbeque-flavored," I said, offering her a small wan smile.

"Oh, okay," she said, seeming to gather some of her wits. "But what about you?"

"Me? Well," I started, but before I could even think of a response, the words tumbled out of my mouth, "I'm going with you."

At the time I told myself that it was because I could not go back to the gym, and that was true. If the three Pokémon who were after Mew saw me there they probably would not let me go again. But I still could have tried to find another place to lay my head and build up a stockpile of food. I could have let this Pokémon go off into the unknown alone, and simply hoped the best for her. But the truth was that there was no way I could do that. If I had been honest with myself my rationale would have been that, without me, I didn't think this mythical deity could find her way out of a paper bag if I was not there to help her.

"Really?" she asked, and any doubts that I had vanished at the sight of her small black eyes welling up with emotion.

"Yeah," I replied, attempting to offer her the best reassuring smile I could muster. "But we have to get going."

After a determined nod, the Pikachu that I had been comforting melted into pink sludge only to reemerge in the form I had grown so used to in the last few days. "Let's go," she said, grabbing the bag of chips.

I led her down another side of the hill so that we would be taken behind the science museum. From there some backroads would be able to take us outside the city while avoiding any unwanted human attention. It was a steep descent, and it did not help my concentration to have a pink Pokémon floating behind me and having a snack. Still, I managed to make it down the hill without incident. We peeked around the side of the museum, and, seeing that the coast was clear, we dashed for the service road leading away from the facility.

We made good time I thought, especially for traveling on dirt roads, but I knew that we still had a ways to go when we reached the city limits. Unlike the well-traveled road between Viridian and Pewter, there was no highway going east. The mountains were considered too treacherous to get through, so most took the much more developed Diglett's Tunnel between Viridian and Vermilion. It wouldn't be an easy trek, but that was the idea. Maybe this mountain range would help Mew lose her pursuers. Then she'd be safe. As for me? Well, I hadn't thought that far ahead, but there was still time I figured. So I pushed those lingering doubts down and set off toward the towering peaks, confident that everything would be alright once we reached the other side.


	5. Chapter 5

The foothills that bled into the mountain range were quiet. There were some Pokémon, tough specimens like Spearow and Nidoran who were able to make their living on the sparse amount of food that the land provided, but they would only appraise us briefly and, after deciding that the two of us were no threat, choose to ignore us. The humans would have proved more troublesome, if there were any at all. With the expansion of the tunnel in Viridian City the only people who braved the pass through Mount Moon were aspiring trainers and hikers, two different types of masochists in my opinion. Even with a functioning Pokémon Center in the area, we only saw one human during our walk that night. He was a young boy looking for Pokémon in a field of dying grass. Despite his shorts leaving his legs bare, the kid didn't seem to be bothered by the waves of brown plant life that jostled his limbs.

When we saw him, I gave a nod to Mew and she transformed into her Pikachu disguise. Once we had passed him and reached a safe distance, she turned back. We had not talked much since leaving Pewter, so it came as a surprise when the silence was broken by a soft voice. "How much farther?"

I turned to her quickly, too quickly. Before I could think to hide the contempt written on my face, she saw it and stopped cold. I did not mean anything by it, I swear. I was just surprised that a legendary Pokémon would already be getting tired, and still a little upset at myself for getting caught up in my first sizable trek in years. "Look," I started, but before I could comfort her she spoke again.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"No, it's fine," I said, feeling that special brand of disgust I reserved only for myself. "Let's take a break." We stopped moving. I sat down and was followed shortly by the sound of my companion gently dropping out of the air to lay on the ground. Even though the surface was rough and littered with rocks and weeds, I had to admit that it felt nice just to rest and the contented sigh from Mew signaled her agreement. We just stayed there for a while, waiting for nothing in particular. I spoke though, to try and comfort the other Pokémon. "Are you okay?"

She lifted her head up to look at me. "I'm alright, just thought I'd have more time to rest before having to move again."

"How long have those Pokémon been chasing you?"

This time, my concern was met with a faint smile. "For weeks they've been chasing me. Ever since I found myself here, they've been chasing me."

My ears perked up at that. "What do you mean by 'here'?" I asked.

"Here, in this world."

"What? Where are you from?"

"Oh, I'm not from the moon or anything like that! It's just that," she started, and then paused to collect her thoughts. I was genuinely interested in her answer, but I was also pleased to see that her mind appeared to have been taken off of her exhaustion. "Alright, so you know that there are legendary Pokémon, right?"

"You're here in front of me, aren't you?"

"Exactly! So, most of the time, we spend our time in our homes, or roaming around. Exploring, dealing with our individual responsibilities, but sometimes we're all called together by the big fellow himself."

"Arceus."

"Right, and so because it'd be difficult to get everyone together physically, we sort of meet on a higher plane of existence. We can project ourselves outside of our bodies to meet in a safe, neutral place."

"Wow, astral projection," I said to myself. "So you met with the other legendary Pokémon, then what happened?"

"Well, when we have our councils, we leave our bodies behind so we have to make sure we leave them in a safe place. Some of us have guardians, but all I had was an isolated location, an island far to the south, where I could leave my physical form." Her brow furrowed. "Not long after I returned though, those three found me."

"Who are they?"

"I don't know. I don't know what they want. All I know is that they don't give up. As soon as I found out that they were trying to hurt me, I raced back to the mainland. But each time I stopped at an island to rest, they would show up, and it wasn't long before they were actively racing after me on a boat. I couldn't slow down and I couldn't sleep, I had to keep moving no matter what."

"You said they had a boat?"

"Yes."

I stroked my chin with my paw thoughtfully. "Then they can't be wild Pokémon. How many trainers have you seen with them?"

"None," Mew admitted, "but to be honest, I didn't look too hard for them."

I let the issue drop and motioned for her to continue.

"I finally landed in this small town, kept making my way north and then I met you!" she finished.

I returned her grin with one of my own. "Well, I think that we've rested enough," I said rising to my feet. "Ready to keep going?"

Mew levitated into the air and favored me with another smile. "Yup, that break was just what I needed! Thanks for listening to me, it felt good to get that off my chest."

"No problem," I said with a wave of my hand. "Let's get a move on though, there should be a Pokémon Center not too far from here. We can make camp near there." The psychic Pokémon nodded and we set off again. The ground seemed less treacherous after our brief break even as the hills began to become steeper and we drew closer to the mountains. Each hill that we crested offered us a new view of our destination. The entrance to the cave was a wide mouth into the earth was bordered on one side by the Pokémon Center that served as the lone building in this area, and with every yard we covered, new details became apparent.

Because I could not levitate myself over each obstacle, I began to tire again before Mew, though I never would've let her know. Still, I was relieved when we finally reached the last hill before the Pokémon Center. "Alright," I said, "I think we've covered enough ground. Let's stop here."

"Are you sure? That building is right there, aren't you worried about humans?" Mew said, gesturing to the Pokémon Center.

"Don't worry," I said, giving the worn-down building a once-over. "There isn't a lot of traffic here, so this place should be safe enough. Especially if we get up early enough."

"Okay, if you're sure."

"Sure I'm sure. Now how about some dinner?"

As I expected, her blue eyes lit up at that. "Dinner?"

"Just wait here," I said. I crept down by the Pokémon Center. There was a lone florescent light flickering inside the building, but the desk was unoccupied and most of the machinery was dark. I didn't think there was any danger, but it never hurt to be too careful. I reached the bottom of the hill and saw just what I had been hoping for. I had been in this area a couple of years ago, when it was a little more frequently traveled. Back then, the Pokémon Center had been frequented by many Pokémon trainers and the staff had incorporated a further way to service them in the form of growing some berry trees.

Just as I had hoped, the descendants of the trees were there and I scavenged them for food, scooping up a pile of fruit to bring back to Mew. When I dropped them before us, she did not hesitate to dig in. I joined her shortly, noting that she had a particular fondness for the Pecha berries. But despite her taste, she left one untouched. I thought that maybe she wanted me to have it, but I ate around it, just in case the psychic Pokémon changed her mind. When the rest of the food was gone though, that lone berry was still there.

I gave Mew a curious look, but she had one of her own for me. "What are you doing?" she asked me.

"What?" I replied through a mouth full of food.

"You're supposed to save a berry to plant later for good luck."

"How is it that you have a hard time understanding that reading minds without permission isn't okay, but you're familiar with an old superstition like that?"

She smiled but said nothing in response as she dug a small hole, placed the Pecha berry in it, and then covered it up with earth. It was a sweet gesture from someone who considered herself a goddess, but any warm fuzzy feelings were interrupted as I saw a lone Geodude watching us from the entrance of the cave. Before I could say anything, he picked up a rock from the ground next to him and lobbed it at my head, missing me by inches.

"Real bad idea, Rocky," I growled, picking up the stone. I looked up to face my attacker, ready to lob the missile back at its source, only to freeze as I found myself facing not the one Geodude I had expected but about a dozen of them instead. "Oh," I let out simply as the rock dropped from my hand.

"You should've planted that berry," Mew said.

"Be quiet," I hissed to her. Then, turning back to the Geodude, I asked them, "What do you want?"

I was answered with a flurry of small rocks. I shielded myself from most of them, but my mood was not improved. So I was not feeling compliant when the lead Geodude told me, "Shut up and come with us."

I sized up the horde before us. There was a lot more of them than us, but I might have been able to hold them off for a little bit while Mew made her escape and then make my own once she was safe. I had to tell her the plan without the other Pokémon catching on, so I tried thinking as hard as I could, willing Mew to pay attention to me. I hoped that her psychic abilities were enough to pick up on such a loudly broadcast thought.

My faith was rewarded when she gave me a look and I heard her voice in my head, _What?_

_I have a plan to get you away from them._

Her pink-furred head shook minutely. _No, let's see what they want._

"What?" I yelled, attracting suspicious stares from the Geodude.

_Don't worry, Zeke, _Mew thought at me, _we can still escape later if we need to._

A thousand concerns flashed through my head. Well it was highly unlikely that these Rock-type Pokémon were collaborating with the trio of Pokémon that were following Mew, the thought that they could spare a dozen members to intercept travelers was still very troubling. Plus, despite Mew's confidence, wherever they took us they would have the home field advantage. I was curious about what they wanted myself, but not to the point of endangering myself, or Mew. As the Geodude started to encircle us, I shot a look at Mew to signal her to run, but instead of the subservience I had been expecting, the psychic Pokémon responded with a steely gaze that let me know that there would be no negotiating with her on this point. Her look made my blood run cold as I began to realize that this Pokémon I had decided to protect was not as helpless as I had thought.

But I kept my thoughts to myself and let the Geodude surround us and begin herding us toward a cave. I gave Mew one last pleading look, but she refused to make eye contact with me as we descended into the dark.


	6. Chapter 6

At first, I tried lighting up the darkness by channeling a small amount of electricity through my cheeks. The effort succeeded in creating a small glow around us as we were led deeper and deeper into the cave, but I quickly found that the energy expended in keeping my surroundings visible was not worth it. Not that I was unable to successfully keep electricity flowing, no. Rather it was because all that would greet my light was rocky walls and Zubat disturbed out of their sleep by our intrusion. I decided to deal with the darkness because at least that way I did not have to see all of the eyeless creatures with their sharp fangs and fluttering blue wings.

The Geodude continued to prod us, pushing us to move quickly and leaving little time for me to check in with Mew. I tried to map out where we were from the entrance, but our group made so many turns and twists through echoing caverns and tight passages that I quickly gave up. Instead, I had to put my faith in our captors. I convinced myself to do so by reminding myself that these Pokémon could have simply tried to bash in our skulls in with rocks as soon as we entered the cave. For whatever reason, it was not a comforting thought.

Just when I thought that my eyes were beginning to adjust, we stepped into an opening that radiated a soft green light. I blinked a few times to get used to the vision before me. We had stepped into a large room. All along the walls and the high ceilings grew a tapestry of mushrooms that emanated the soft pulses of light that had lit up the room. Drooping stalactites and towering stalagmites lent a bizarre patchwork of shadows to the whole scene. Despite all of these odd sights, there was still something that drew my attention more than any amount of fungus or geology could.

In the center of the room sat an ancient-looking Graveler, surrounded by a dozen more Geodude. His stone body was chipped and scratched, but he still commanded attention. The Geodude who had ambushed us and brought us here dropped their rocks and dropped forward in reverence, their faces pressed into the ground and their hands stretched out towards their leader.

"Who are these outsiders you have brought before me?" the large Rock-type Pokémon thundered.

I was about to speak up when Mew gave me a look. Her blue eyes were still as hard as before, so I swallowed my words before they could escape.

The Geodude did not seem to notice our little exchange. "These two were found lurking around the mountain," the one who had cast the first stone announced.

"But why bring them to me?" the Graveler said.

"They are not of the species native to this area, yet they appear to have no human with them," the smaller Pokémon continued. "We do not know their purpose for being here."

"May I?" Mew asked, but before the stunned Geodude could speak, she floated forward. "Noble Graveler, thank you for receiving us. We are but two humble travelers, seeking nothing more than safe passage through this, your wonderful mountain."

I thought that she sounded ridiculous, but the Graveler was looking at Mew thoughtfully and rubbing his chin with one of his four arms. "You are wise, small pink one," he rumbled, "to recognize these mountains as belonging to the domain of Stoneheart, Lord of the Moon Stone."

I rolled my eyes at his title, but luckily it went unnoticed.

"You say that you only seek passage, and you may have it."

Mew's head perked up at that.

"But," the Graveler said, negating the goodwill his last few words had evoked, "you will have to wait until we can assess you and your Pikachu companion."

"Assess?" the psychic Pokémon asked, her tail twitching slightly behind her. "What is there to assess?"

"We have seen Pikachu in our mountain before, but none like you," the Graveler said, folding his two sets of hands. "In a few days' time, there will be a full moon. Then we will consult the Moon Stone and our elders to decipher what your arrival signals for the future of our tribe."

"A few days?" Mew cried out. "We don't have that kind of time! You see-"

"Silence!" Stoneheart roared and the psychic Pokémon fell silent.

"His name's Stoneheart, what did you expect?" I muttered to her. "Time for a different approach." Cracking my knuckles, I stepped in front of Mew and raised my voice so the entire cavern could hear us, including the sizeable number of Geodude that had crept out of other passageways to witness Stoneheart's court. "Fool!" I yelled hysterically. "You dare speak with such hostility, nay, such contempt to the great and legendary Mew!"

I had hoped that my words would get us a little respect and speed up this process. I had feared that my outburst would be met with anger, maybe even violence. What I had not expected was the chorus of gasps that erupted from the crowd at my revelation.

"You are Mew, pink one?" Stoneheart finally got out in a voice choked with awe.

The Pokémon in question gave me a nervous glance and I nodded. "Um, yes! I am the mighty Mew, crafter of stars and breaker of worlds!" she said, rising through the air and psychically whipping up a small whirlwind of dust and small rocks to add to the effect. "I sought merely to pass between your mountains with my trusty servant, but you instead offered me only trials and obstacles to my noble aims!"

"Servant?" I mouthed to her.

She ignored me, focusing her attention on the Graveler's reaction. Slowly, Stoneheart lifted himself off of his pedestal and lowered himself to the cave floor, a sea of Geodude parting as he came down. After a pause, he spoke. "Forgive us, oh compassionate Mew. We did not know it was you who was before us. Our eyes could see yet we were blind. We will guide you through this mountain's many treacherous paths to light on the outside."

"Oh, great!" Mew said. I shot her a dirty look. "Ahem. I mean, yes! Noble Stoneheart, Lord of the Moon Stone, you are truly a friend of Pokémon everywhere and a worthy leader of these Geodude!"

"You are too kind, oh celestial Mew," the Graveler said with a small smile, "but before you leave us, I must beg of you to stay, if only for the night. Eat with us, drink with us, and let us celebrate your arrival."

"Yes, we shall accept your generous hospitality for tonight."

"Then let us begin!"

With that, a huge cheer rose up from the Geodude, and within minutes a number of them were ferrying trays that carried varieties of meats and fruits back and forth. But the real treat was the wine. I managed to learn from one of the Geodude that the tribe had been fermenting berries for years in order to create a series of exotic and potent wines, and had even crafted a series of stone goblets with which to serve them in. I did my best to drink responsibly, declining the few requests I received for joining in on toasts, drinking contests, or learning an ancient Geodude drinking song. For her part, Mew was too busy being showered with accolades and Stoneheart's attention to spare any time getting drunk.

Eventually, the partying died down with one Rock-type Pokémon after another begging off or collapsing in a hiccupping heap. Even their Graveler leader began to drift off, and Mew took the opportunity to extract herself from her presence and rejoin me.

"You looked like you were having fun," I said with a wry smile.

"Well, it was alright. It was mostly just Stoneheart giving me a list of things to ask Arceus for when I get the chance."

"That's not what I'm talking about."

"Oh? What then?"

"You tell me, Miss 'breaker of worlds'."

"Shut up," she said, giving me a playful shove, "that was just me following your lead!"

"It worked, didn't it? No need to wait for them to consult their rock or anything ridiculous like that."

"You're right, we can keep moving tomorrow."

"Yeah, tomorrow." With that, I let out a small yawn and then curled up into a small yellow ball and closed my eyes. Before I could drift off into dreamland though, I felt something pressing against me. I opened my eyes and saw Mew leaning against me, her eyes closed and her breathing coming out in a relaxed rhythm. I could have asked her what was going on, but there was no real need. Our hosts might have found it comfortable, but cold cave floors were not my idea of a suitable bed, and I suspected that Mew felt the same way. The food and wine helped, but Mew's body heat did a lot more to help me fall asleep, or maybe it was just her presence. Regardless, I fell asleep with a smile on my face.

I awoke only a few hours later to the sight of two Geodude whispering to each other. Despite their efforts at being discrete, my acute hearing was still able to pick up their conversation.

"Three more outsiders?"

"Yes. No humans either, but bigger than these two. They didn't hesitate before heading straight into the cave."

"Who's on guard duty tonight?"

"Only me. Everyone else fell asleep after the celebration."

"So there are no other warriors out there," one of the Geodude said, an edge of panic creeping into his deep voice, "and you came here?"

"I figured I had to alert the tribe."

"We have to wake Lord Stoneheart."

The two Geodude swung their way over to their leader, and I picked this moment to wake Mew by shaking her gently. "Get up," I said. "I think we have trouble."

She grunted something in her sleep and rolled away from me, but I was not about to give up that easily. With a small grunt, I began charging electricity, but before I could feel the familiar warmth in my cheeks I released it all into one my fingers, giving Mew a small jolt. That woke her up, and she shot up with a small yelp, more out of surprise than pain I hoped. "What?" she hissed at me.

"Three larger Pokémon without a human entered the mountain apparently. I'm guessing it's the same three who are after you."

"Oh no," she said, her anger dissipating. "Are you sure?"

"This tribe of Pokémon has been living here for a long time," I explained. "If they thought a Pikachu was odd, they don't get much traffic, so three Pokémon traveling together without a trainer probably isn't a coincidence."

"Then we should talk to Stoneheart, warn them what's coming."

"Why not just get out of here ourselves?"

Mew shot me a withering look. "Not only do we have no chance of finding our way out of this network of caves on our own, but we owe them that much for welcoming us into their home. We're the ones who brought the risk to them."

"But if we're gone, maybe they'll be left alone?"

"These are the same three Pokémon who burned down a forest when they couldn't find me. They won't just let them go."

I sighed. What else could I do in response to a point like that? "Fine, let's go tell them."


	7. Chapter 7

We made our way over to the Graveler who hardly seemed thrilled about being woken up from his stupor. He was already in the middle of a conversation with his guards, alternating between speaking with the force of authority and grabbing his lumpy head in a vain attempt to fend off a headache.

"I'm the reason why those three Pokémon are here. They're after me," Mew said.

Stoneheart's eyes narrowed at this news. "How did you know about these three intruders?"

My companion was silent, so I stepped in. "The great and powerful Mew has her ways," I said.

"Enough!" Stoneheart roared. He then focused his ire on Mew. "Control your servant or my warriors will control him for you. Now what do you mean that they are after you?"

My fur bristled at being called a servant again, but I held my tongue and let Mew respond to his question. "This trio has been following me for many weeks, seeking to destroy me," she said. "They have followed me across oceans, forests, and now even mountains, all of which have failed to deter their dark aims. The two of us wanted to warn you. You and your warriors are mighty, but these three Pokémon are powerful, and we are eager to offer our assistance in fighting them off."

"What?" I whispered to Mew, but she maintained eye contact with Stoneheart. To these two my concerns were insignificant. I could make a fuss, interrupt their conversation, or even just walk away, but I knew that I would not do that. Even if I silently argued that it was for Mew's sake, it did not remedy the sour taste in my mouth. Instead, I stood there and listened, unable to stop from hating myself for doing so.

"Thank you, noble Mew," the Rock-type said, "for your generous offer. But your assistance is not needed in this fight. Go. My warriors and I will be more than able to halt your persecutors."

Mew looked as if she was about to protest, but before I could intervene she swallowed her words down. "Thank you, Stoneheart. You are truly a brave leader for these mountains."

The Graveler smiled at this compliment, but his face quickly returned to its stony façade as he turned to his guards. "You, Pebblethrow! Take the Mew and her servant to the tunnels and see to it that they make it out safely."

The Geodude being addressed saluted sharply and began loping toward one of the cavern's walls, swinging his body forward by using his powerful arms as leverage. With a shrug, we followed him to a huge boulder. The Rock-type Pokémon grabbed the sides of the boulder and, with only a few grunts of exertion, pulled it a few feet in a tremendous display of strength, revealing a small tunnel. It was far darker than the cavern we were in, and I was loathe to leave the faint but present light generated by the mushrooms in the cavern, but it looked like we had no choice. Mew looked like she had her own qualms about squeezing into a tight recess where she may not be able to levitate.

Before either of us could voice our concerns though, a clamor rose up among the Geodude as one of them came bustling into the cavern crying, "They're coming, they're coming!"

"Go," Pebblethrow said, and we complied. I let Mew go first, then followed after, giving my yellow paws one last look before they were engulfed by darkness. Once we were in, Pebblethrow followed us, and with a groan, dragged the huge rock back over the entrance of our exit, leaving only a small sliver uncovered. Immediately, all three of us rushed to press up against one another to watch the events going on within the cavern. After some initial jostling and complaints, we managed to get in a relatively comfortable position to watch the cavern.

We didn't have to wait long. The three Pokémon that I had encountered in the Viridian Forest were just as large as I had remembered them, and the soft green light of the cave's fungus lit them in a fit of shadows. The Hitmonchan wore a soft gambler's smile, but his companions looked bored. The Snorlax even let out a loud yawn. In contrast to the respect that Mew had showed Stoneheart, this trio waited for the leader of the Geodude to come to them.

"Welcome to the domain of Stoneheart, Lord of the Moon Stone," the Graveler said. "What brings you into my mountain?" His Geodude honor guard formed up behind him, glaring at those trespassing on their domain.

"I am Blackjack, and these are my co-workers, Scimitar and Club," the tan Pokémon said, gesturing to his two companions. "We have tracked Mew to this cave. Tell us where she is."

The Rock-type Pokémon gave the best incredulous look his craggy face could manage. "The legendary Pokémon?"

"The same."

"I'm sorry," Stoneheart said, spreading his four arms out, "but we have never encountered her in all of our years dwelling in these mountains."

"Why is this place such a dump?" Scimitar spat, kicking at one of the stone platters from the previous night's festivities lightly.

"Good question," her Fighting-type ally said. "What happened here?"

"We had a feast last night, commemorating the full moon by honoring the Moon Stone."

"I thought that the full moon wasn't for a few more days," Mew said with a whisper.

"Exactly. He's lying to them," I hissed back.

"Oh!"

I rolled my eyes as best I could while being pressed up against a huge rock. "Now be quiet!"

"Did we really miss a feast, Blackjack?" Club the Snorlax muttered in a low, rumbling voice.

The Hitmonchan ignored him. "You're sure that you haven't seen Mew?"

"Yes," Stoneheart said curtly.

"Hmm, interesting," Blackjack said, shifting his gaze over the Graveler's shoulder. "How many Geodude warriors do you have with you?"

The large Rock-type quickly glanced behind him, before stating confidently, "Eleven."

"Funny," the taller Pokémon said, beginning to walk around the Graveler, "it appears to me that they're lined up in three columns of four, with a gap at the end of the second row. It seems like your soldiers are well-trained, but to leave such a gap, it makes me wonder where your twelfth Geodude is."

"He was watching you come in," the gray Pokémon said, a small tremble entering his voice.

"That's a lie! That's the one that was spying on us right there!" Scimitar said, gesturing at a Geodude in the first row with her scythe.

Blackjack gave the Graveler a grin. "Looks like the jig is up. Tell us where Mew is or die."

With that, the cavern spiraled into violence as Stoneheart leapt at the trio of intruders. There was a quick flash of violence, a red blur, but when the dust cleared after these frantic seconds, one of the Hitmonchan's fists was lodged where the top-left corner of the Graveler's head had once been. The Rock-type stood stunned, the missing chunk making him look like a macabre piece of modern art. He glanced at our hiding spot, grimaced, and then yelled, "Attack!"

As one, the Geodude sprang into action, swinging wildly at the three enemy Pokémon with their fists and attempting to outright ram them. There was no finesse or strategy, just a mob of angry Pokémon trying to carry out their leader's order. Stoneheart himself attempted to clobber the Pokémon, but his wild assault was hampered by the blood flowing over his eyes and by the sheer amount of skill shown by the trio of Blackjack, Scimitar, and Club. The trio deflected and intercepted attacks that came at that, coalescing into a mass then spreading out again to strike as the moment was fit. They made an incredibly well-balanced team, each member covering the weak points of the others and routing the rabble of Geodude.

Seeing how his leader and tribesmen were failing, Pebblethrow pushed the boulder aside and rushed into the battle.

"He left us," I whispered harshly, pressing Mew and myself up against the shadow still cast by the disturbed rock. "He was supposed to be our guide out of this place!"

"He's trying to turn the tide of the battle," the pink Pokémon responded in soothing tones. No sooner were the words out of her mouth that Pebblethrow leaped at Blackjack only to receive a devastating blow from the Hitmonchan's boxing glove. The crimson fist dented the Geodude's skull, sending the gung-ho Rock-type to the ground, sprawled out as his blood joined that of Stoneheart's other soldiers in painting the cave floor.

At that point, there was no choice left. "We have to go," I said, grabbing Mew's arm and pulling her into the cave. She looked reluctant to leave the tribe behind, but she remained silent and floated after me. The light emitted from the cavern's fungus gradually faded as we made our way deeper and deeper into the tunnels. I had no idea where we were headed or where we were going, I just knew that we had to get away from the carnage that we had been witnessing. If Pokémon literally composed of rocks were not able to stand up to those three Pokémon that were chasing Mew, what chance did fleshy constructs like us have?

The openings grew narrower and narrower, but we pressed on. The sounds of battle faded, leaving just the sounds of my and Mew's breathing. She was the one to break the silence. "What are we going to do?"

"I don't know, just give me a second to think."

Suddenly, a voice echoed down the network of tunnels, being amplified by the constant bouncing and reinforcement of the system of passageways. "Mew! We're coming for you!" It was Blackjack. He must have saw the hole partly uncovered by the boulder Pebblethrow had moved.

"They can't follow us in here, right?" Mew asked warily.

"I doubt it, especially with that fat Snorlax on their side." Before I could assuage her fears about our safety, a sudden orange light lit up the tunnel we had just turned out of. I tugged my psychic companion close to me and away from the opening just before a huge gout of flame surged past it. The Zubat that had survived were flapping around, screeching wildly. "That would be the Snorlax," I said with a grimace.

"So what's their plan, try and burn us out?"

"I don't think so," I said, lighting up my cheeks with a small surge of electricity. Just as I had feared, the soft yellow glow revealed that the rocks in the path of the fire attack were dripping. "They're going to burn us to death or melt big enough holes for them to crawl through."

Mew grimaced at the sight as well. "What are we going to do?"

I looked around the cave, trying to think. My light had begun to irritate the Zubat who had not been roasted alive, and their constantly shuffling wings and shrieks were not making it easy to concentrate. _If only there was some way to get rid of these Zubat_, I thought. That was when it hit me. I let more electricity surge through my cheeks, feeling the warmth fill them and the sparks dancing around my face.

"What are you doing?"

"Stand back," I said, and then let loose with a sharp jolt of electricity at the center of a flock of Zubat. The blast had the desired effect. None of the Zubat were seriously hurt, but they were panicked and began flying away from the crazy Pikachu who was attacking them. "Follow them!" I yelled as another orange light began to illuminate the tunnel behind us.

"What?" Mew yelled.

"The Zubat have to know a way out of the cave!" As realization dawned in her blue eyes, the pink Pokémon began to float after the fleeing Pokémon, while I followed on my paws, ignoring the scratches and scrapes that occurred as my paws hit the rocky floor. The Zubat were fast, but they paused often to rest, thinking themselves out of danger. I changed their minds with more surges of electricity and we continued our ascent, trying to push the Pokémon behind us out of mind.


	8. Chapter 8

We emerged from the tunnels as quickly as we could follow the Zubat out, but the heat of Club's fiery attacks still licked at our heels. Looking towards the sun lazily lifting off from the horizon on its daily quest across the sky, there was a moment when it seemed like everything was alright. We had emerged from the dank caves under Mount Moon onto a rocky outcropping of sheer cliff overlooking a rushing river below. Across a narrow bridge of stone worn naturally into the shape by the steady erosion of time lay a vast field of grass and flowers that sparkled with the morning dew and was interrupted only by a brook that bisected the greenery. The water continued on a gentle journey towards a city that undoubtedly was miles away, but seemed closer due to our vantage point and the general flatness of the landscape before us.

For a moment it seemed like everything was okay. But the tranquility was only an mirage. I grabbed Mew's pink-furred arm and began leading her to the rocky passage from the cold, grey mountain to the emerald countryside beyond.

The illusion was shattered when I noticed a noise echoing from the inside of the cave. Slowing to a stop, I turned my head back towards the entrance, black-tipped ears perking up and swiveling along with my gaze. It was a droning clamor, magnified in decibel by the soundwaves bouncing off of the walls of the tunnel to the surface. By the time I realized what the noise was, it was too late.

I tugged Mew harder and attempted to yell out that we had to run, but my words were swallowed by the cacophony of sound as Scimitar the Scyther burst from the exit of Mount Moon, followed shortly by a gout of flame that roared after her and sent the Spearow looking for food in the fields to take off in a great consternation of cawing and flapping wings.

The mantis-like Pokémon shot clean over my and Mew's heads, the compact folding of her limbs and wings that had enabled her passage through the narrow tunnels undone as she revealed her blades in their full glory and landed on the bridge, cutting us off from any escape by that route. My eyes met hers, but while mine narrowed as I started to charge the electric pouches in my cheeks, hers danced merrily, a smile tugging the corners of her cruel mouth.

Her scythe-like appendages were folded across her chest, but I knew that any attempt to breech her blockade would mean getting cut to pieces in the blink of an eye. Mew seemed to realize this too, and her paw relaxed in my grip. For whatever reason, Scimitar was not attacking us in a whirling dervish of blades. Instead, the green Pokémon was simply standing there, the only motion being a flicker of her eye behind the red glass of the device affixed to the left side of her head as some text scrolled across it. Once the message had vanished, the Scyther spoke. "The others will be here shortly. I've been instructed to hold you here until they can arrive," Scimitar said curtly. Another gout of flame, larger this time, erupted from the cave's entrance as if to punctuate her point about Club and Blackjack working their way out of the caves.

I was not feeling predisposed to waiting around, so I asked, "And what if we decide to jump and risk out chances with the rapids below?"

The Scyther looked at me, then grinned, revealing a mouth full of sharp, reptilian teeth. "If you were stupid enough to try that, I would join you for the descent and reduce the both of you to cubes of flesh before you ever got the chance to be dashed on the rocks," she said. Scimitar shifted her feet a bit. "Don't get me wrong, I would be delighted to do so, but it would seem like such a waste to our employer."

That last word caught my attention, but before I could investigate further another blast of fire came from the now much wider opening of Mount Moon, followed by the emergence of Club the Snorlax and Blackjack the Hitmonchan from the gash in the rock. The Hitmonchan removed his eyepiece, wiped the steam off of the red glass, and then replaced it. "So nice of you to join us," he said, opening his arms wide as he did so.

"What do you want from me?" Mew asked, her attempts to fortify her voice with the same authority she had enjoyed with Stoneheart being undermined by the constant shivering of her body.

"That's for us to know and you to find out," Blackjack responded with a smile at the smaller Pokémon's evident terror.

Some surge of protective instinct surged in me and I squeezed Mew's paw in what I hoped was reassurance and said, "We already know you're working for someone else. Who is it?"

At that, the Hitmonchan's cocky eyes hardened and he shot a glare at Scimitar. "You let something like that slip out? I expect such carelessness from Club, but not from you."

"Hey, what is that supposed to mean?" the Snorlax in question asked.

"What does it matter?" Scimitar asked, ignoring Club's question and massive bulk entirely. "We have the Mew. Our job's just about done."

"It's about professionalism, you stupid sadist," Blackjack said, his voice dripping with contempt. "We're what's left, the nucleus of what is to come. How long do you think that's going to last if you make all of us look like rank amateurs?"

"You tell me, oh-mighty-leader," the green Pokémon snapped. "Instead of capturing or killing the Pikachu who was obviously working with the Mew, you decided we should burn down an entire forest! How's that for professionalism?"

"Enough!" Blackjack roared. My eyes, which had been darting back and forth between the two arguing villains zipped back to the tan Pokémon. "This is something we can discuss later, for now let's just deal with what's on our plate."

Club chipped in again, "Speaking of plates, what are we going to do with the Pikachu? The boss didn't say anything about a Pikachu, so we can do whatever with it, right?"

The lithe tan Pokémon arched an eyebrow at this. "That's a good point, Club, but I think that I should be the one to handle the little rodent." He shot a glance at Scimitar. "That way I can fix my own mistake and someone else's."

"Oh, shut up and get it over with," the Scyther spat.

"Wait, I thought I had dibs on the Pikachu!"

"This is personal, Club," Blackjack said, "but don't worry, you can dispose of what's left when I'm finished."

The Snorlax sat down in a huff, causing the cliff to shake and muttering to himself, "I didn't want leftovers."

I turned my attention to my opponent. Releasing Mew's paw, I stepped between her and Blackjack, sizing the Hitmonchan up. He was many times my size, with a corresponding longer reach and stride. Combined with the hindrances to my mobility caused by our narrow arena of cliff, that could be deadly. I could not recall how fast a Hitmonchan was supposed to be able to punch, but I was sure that the species was known for lightning strikes as opposed to generally more plodding movement of other Fighting-type Pokémon. I was not sure how much of my past battling experience would be applicable. We were not fighting for any tournament trophy, gym badge, or even our trainer's approval. I was fighting for my life, which meant that nothing was off the table. I curled my paws into fists and began charging my red cheeks with electricity.

No sooner had the first spark danced across my face than the first of Blackjack's blows slammed into my face. His red gloves were almost the size of my head, so it felt like a ton of bricks hitting me. I dropped to my knees and gingerly ran my paw over the rapidly swelling area of my cheek. Then I looked up and saw the tan-colored Pokémon looming over me and grinning. Two realizations sprung to my mind in that moment. The first was that he was not going to grant me a quick death, but rather prolong it for his and his companions' amusement. The second was that if there was no way to save Mew, then the least I could do would be to wipe that smile off of his face.

I pushed off the ground and began to rise to my feet, charging up for an electric attack that was sure to take the spring out of my opponent's step. But before I could unleash the accumulated voltage, a heavy, double-handed blow to the back of my skull sent me down again, my reserves of electricity dissipating harmlessly into the air as the shock of the attack made me lose the concentration required for gathering and storing a large amount of charge. The back of my head tingled a bit, and I knew why. Blackjack had charged up his fists with his own electricity. This latest round of taunting only increased my desire to survive.

Instead of working towards a massive outpouring of electricity, I decided to opt for smaller blows to attempt to throw the Hitmonchan off-guard. As soon as my cheeks began to hum with energy, I released it, resulting in several low-voltage shocks that raced through the air toward my tan assailant. As I had hoped, he shifted his concentration away from me and toward batting the weak electric bursts away with his heavy red gloves. This gave me the chance to finally get back on my feet. As soon as Blackjack had finished deflecting my attacks and turned his attention back to me, I held my paw out in a rude gesture I had learned from humans. He quickly launched a devastating blow towards me, but I had been just in the process of launching into a leap while flipping the Hitmonchan off, so his punch blazed past my feet to leave a heavy impact crater in the rock below. I smiled to myself. All the speed in the world meant nothing if one could not think as fast as they could attack.

Satisfied with myself, I began to charge up with electricity again, savoring the crackle in the air and the feeling of colored sparks racing around my body. It had been so long since I had ever been in a fight of any magnitude close to this, and I was actually enjoying the feeling of combat after so long. That was until Blackjack launched a savage uppercut that caught me mid-air and sent me flying, my charged energy once again uselessly dissipating from my body.

I hit the ground hard and grimaced in pain as I checked to make sure that all of my limbs were still working. My head laid heavy on the rocky ground, but when I saw Mew's face, it hurt far more than any of Blackjack's attacks. Her blue eyes were glistening with tears, but underneath the concern there was a distance, a kind of pity for the mere mortal who was getting knocked around in order to protect her. Why should she need protection anyway? What was so scary about these Pokémon? I flipped onto my stomach, grunting at the hurt caused by my bones shifting during the motion. Before I could get up for another round, one of Blackjack's purple-clad feet landed in front of my head. "Give up, Pikachu," he said, "you've lost."

"You think you've won?" I asked, trying to sound tough despite my position.

"We have Mew and are about to tie up the last loose end, so I would say so."

I laughed bitterly at that. "How about granting a dying Pokémon a last request?"

Blackjack crouched down at this, his face close enough that I could spit on him. I did not, although I wanted to. "And what would that be?"

"Just a single question, to give me some closure."

"Go on."

"Mew said that you three have been following her for across oceans, mountains, forests, you name it. How have you been able to track her so well?" I asked. "None of you look like a Growlithe to me."

"I suppose there's no harm in telling a dead Pokémon," Blackjack said. The Hitmonchan smiled and tapped the eyepiece on the left side of his head. "This device lets us track outpourings of psychic energy. Because the Mew is so powerful, it is constantly giving off a unique psychic signature that we can roughly track. But if we want more precise coordinates, then all we have to do is wait for the Mew to utilize its psychic powers, whether telepathy or telekinesis, and the resulting spike tells us right where it is."

I tried to look like I was completely focused on taking in all of this information, but in reality my attention was actually being split between biding my time and attempting a technique that my trainer had taught me a long time ago. By using my charged electricity to stimulate my muscles instead of creating a reservoir of power to attack with, I had been able to dramatically increase my speed in the past. At the price of pushing my body to its limits, I might be able to salvage something from the jaws of defeat. "So, those devices were the key to finding her," I said, attempting to sound weary. I was alarmed at how easy it was.

"Exactly."

"Then let's make it more challenging," I said as I leaped towards Blackjack's face. He attempted to cut me off with a punch, but I could actually see it coming this time and managed to rotate around the incoming fist to grab the device on the Fighting-type Pokémon's face. Then I released a series of short, sharp electric bursts. A series of frantic, somehow pitiful beeps emitted from the small machine and were followed by smoke shortly thereafter. Blackjack swept me off of his tan face with a heavy motion of his right arm while his left ripped the device off from his eye and threw it away, just before it exploded in a shower of white plastic, circuits, and red glass. As I hit the ground again, I yelled, "Mew! Run!" I barely heard myself over the pounding of my head from the exertion of my last-ditch maneuver and the damage I had taken during the fight.

"That's enough!" Blackjack roared as he stepped over me to deliver the killing blow.

"I agree," said another voice. I turned towards the source of the noise, no easy task given that it seemed to be coming from everywhere at once, and found myself staring at Mew. Only it was not the Mew that I had come to know. Instead of a face bright with excitement or darkened by worry, her face was expressionless. Her eyes were glowing a harsh, radiant pink as they had when she had used her psychic powers in the past, but this time she was also surrounded by what I can only describe as an aura of swirling pink energy that swarmed around her like a bubble of fireworks, each one bursting and cracking as it reached its zenith only to be replaced by three more.

Before I could try to talk to Mew, I felt myself begin to slip into the blackness of unconsciousness, my descent lit only by the pink light of psychic power that had burned itself into my retinas.


	9. Chapter 9

My eyes shot open as I awoke in the dark. I was scared and confused, unsure of how long I had been out or where I had been taken. I knew I was alive though – the aches and pains throughout my body made sure I didn't forget it. I was honestly amazed by that fact. I had fought tough Pokémon before, sure, but Blackjack had made it explicit that he meant to kill me. If it hadn't been for Mew, then I would have died. At the thought of her, I bolted up. Despite the pain of my sudden movement, I still managed to shout, "Mew!"

"Quiet down," a familiar voice said. "I'm here, there's no need to yell."

My eyes struggled to adjust to the darkness, but it was useless. Wherever we were was pitch-dark. "Where are-" I started, only to stop when I felt her soft paw against my forehead.

"I'm here," she said again soothingly.

My eyes began to make out her form above me, a less dark outline in the overall blackness. I swallowed and began to speak again, calmer this time. "Where are we?"

"A cave by the city," Mew said. "We're safe here."

"Are we back under Mount Moon?"

I could make out her head shaking slightly in dark. "No, somewhere more hidden."

I tried to remember the maps of Kanto that my trainer had studied, but my head started to pound and I gave up and instead rested back against the ground. At that point, I noticed just how soft the surface was. My paw curled around some light and fluffy kind of moss or maybe another species of plant. My mind was struggling to make connections, but all I could firmly grasp was the feeling that something was unusual about this place. Despite our being in a cave, the atmosphere did not feel oppressive or dank like the tunnels under Mount Moon, but rather brimming with energy. It hurt to think about it, or to do much of anything really, so I was grateful when Mew touched something cool against my head, giving me a chance to distract myself. "What was that?" I asked.

"It's a species of mushroom planted by the Parasect who once lived in this cave. It has some healing properties, but you'll still need to rest for a few days."

"Give it to me straight, doc," I said. "How bad is it?"

I could almost see her smile in the dark. "That Hitmonchan really did a number on you," she said, rubbing what I assumed was another one of these healing fungi on my battered body. "He wasn't holding back."

"Yeah." Then realization hit me, and I tried to get up again. "You can't stay here for a few days! You have to keep running! They'll be coming for you!"

"No," she said quietly. Her eyes refused to meet me in the dark.

My hysterics ground to a halt at her single word. "What do you mean?"

"They won't be bothering us for a while."

"Why?" I asked. Then, the images came flooding back. Mew being surrounded in a violent pink glow. The crackling and snapping of psychic fireworks around her. Her empty eyes. "Mew, what did you do?" She ignored me, so I repeated my question, but quieter.

Finally, the dam burst. "I hurt them!" Mew cried out in a voice that echoed inside of my skull. Her whole form was surrounded by a pink glow again, but it was softer and duller than it had been on the cliff. It was still enough to light up the entire grotto we were in, revealing high ceilings and a lagoon, all devoid of Pokémon besides the two of us. "They were going to kill you, Zeke," she continued, seemingly unaware of the anguish she was radiating from her small body. "They hurt you so I hurt them!"

I unsteadily rose to my feet. Any pain that I was feeling was overwhelmed by the waves of despair that Mew's aura was radiating, and as I moved closer to the legendary Pokémon to hug her, the feeling only intensified. Still, I powered through and wrapped myself around Mew's floating form. I thought about reassuring her with words, but nothing that I said seemed like it would be enough. So instead I held her until I felt her aura dissipate and saw the cave grow dark again.

Finally, I felt her look up. Feeling awkward at the prolonged contact, I disentangled myself from Mew. The pain in my body had resumed its preeminence, but it was tempered by a feeling of joy that kept a smile on my face no matter what I felt. "Thank you," she said.

"I should be thanking you," I sputtered. "You saved my life." I paused for a second. "I don't want to upset you, but what did you do them?"

I could feel Mew's hesitation, and I was ready to drop the subject entirely. Instead she looked at me and whispered, "I could show you."

"Show me?"

But instead of explaining, she placed her paws against my head. Her eyes began to glow pink, and then everything in the blackness seemed to have a pink hue to it. It took me a few seconds to realize that this was because my own eyes were glowing as well. I jerked back in fright, but Mew held on to my head and pressed her forehead against mine.

Suddenly a surge of memories and feelings filled me. I saw myself get beaten by Blackjack from Mew's point of view and felt her mounting fury. I heard her speak and felt the surge of psychic power rush through her veins. I watched Mew stretch out her paw and, with a flick of her tiny wrist, send the Hitmonchan careening into the side of Mount Moon. Club and Scimitar were sent crashing into each other, and the trio were pulled from the crumbled mass of bodies by Mew's psychic powers to be juggled about like rag dolls. Mew orchestrated their every mid-air collision and their every rise to the heavens and crash to the earth with her paws, but the scariest part of the whole experience was that Mew's fury had been replaced by a void of feeling. She was focused on hurting them, but only in a mechanical, methodical way. Finally, the trio of broken and bloody bodies were unceremoniously dumped in the river below the cliff, their cries cut short by a loud splash.

The vision ended with Mew releasing me. I was sent sprawling back onto the mat of moss. Silence hung in the air as I attempted to process what I had seen. Finally, I sat up and spoke. "Did you kill them?"

"No," Mew said, shaking her head violently in the dark.

"Why not? You could have stopped them from chasing you at any time."

"Zeke," she said with a forcefulness in her voice that I had not heard in a while, "I am Mew, the legendary Pokémon embodying the creation of life. I am supposed to be friend to all living things. I hate violence. I hate to hurt. It goes against everything that I am."

"But you could do it?" I pressed.

The psychic Pokémon sighed. "I don't know. I've never tried. It's been so long since I tried anything like what I did with those three. In order to hurt them I had to turn off any part of me that makes me who I am. I had to give into that desire to hurt and hope that I'd still be able to find my way back from that emptiness."

"But you took that risk for me," I said. It wasn't a question.

"Yes."

"You said you had done something like that before. What prompted it then?"

"Do you remember how I said that legendary Pokémon had sanctuaries where they could rest?" Mew gestured in the dark to the cave around us. "This used to be my domain. A cave full of Pokémon who worshipped me and served me as protectors and retainers."

"Worshipped you?" I asked incredulously.

"Yup," Mew said. "That was a long time ago, before the city nearby was built. In fact, it was the construction of the city that was the root cause of the problem. Human tribes had always lived in this area, but a few centuries ago, they began to consolidate into larger and larger groups, eventually forming towns, cities, and even countries. My cave and the area surrounding it were always treated with reverence by the nomadic tribes in the area, but as more humans moved into the area from the south, drawn by its flowing waterways and mineral deposits, tensions grew. Not only did the humans clash, but increasingly our sanctuary was intruded upon. At first I made the decision to retreat deeper into the caves and let the humans fight it out.

"But we were pressed for space and resources. Some of the Pokémon wanted to meet the humans in battle and retake the area surrounding this cave in my name. I refused to countenance such an action, but things only got worse. The increase in the human population made it more and more dangerous for my disciples to forage for food, with humans capturing them or killing them, for food, trophies, or even sport."

"So you struck back against the humans?" I asked, my eyes wide at her story.

"Not exactly," Mew said, her voice tentative but strong. "Among my followers, things came to a head, with two factions forming. One wanted to attempt to wait out the human settlement. The other sought the destruction of the encroachers and the reclamation of what they still thought of as their land. When the two sides of Pokémon came to blows I separated them with force. I wasn't as brutal with them as I was with the trio of Pokémon outside Mount Moon, but I still hurt the ringleaders enough to force them to stop."

"What happened next?"

"Some of them thought about turning on me, but the majority were quelled for the time being. When I came back to myself, I was ashamed at how I had acted, and I fled. I sought out another sanctuary to the southern seas and abandoned them to their fates." The Pokémon spun around the cave, surveying the emptiness. "I shouldn't have been so surprised to see this place empty. I wonder if any of the wild Pokémon around here still know how to find the entrances to this cave," she said ruefully.

I laid down on the moss, feeling the cool surface mold itself to the weight of my body. "You intervened then to stop Pokémon you care about from getting hurt, and you intervened again to protect me," I said, more to myself than to her. Then, to her, I asked, "What does that make us?"

Mew drifted closer to me and lowered herself onto the cave's overgrown floor as well. "Friends, I suppose," she said after a while.

"Friends," I said, trying out the word on my tongue. It felt like coming home. "I like it, Mew."

"I suppose it's only fair to tell you that that's not my name," she said with a giggle.

"What?"

"My name isn't Mew. It's more of a title than anything actually."

"So what's your real name?" I asked, my curiosity piqued.

"No one knows outside of legendary Pokémon. Do you think you're ready for that kind of responsibility?" she teased.

I felt a smile spread across my face. "I think I'll take my chances."

Mew took a deep breath, let it out, and then said, "Amie."

"Huh," I said, "the Kalosian word for friend. Fitting for someone who is supposed to be a friend to all living creatures."

"They got it from me, actually."

I laughed at that, and it was not long before she started laughing too. My sides hurt from the injuries I had sustained, but I kept on chortling. As long as I kept laughing, I could forget about the fact that Amie might still be in danger. I could forget about not having a clue of what the future held. And most importantly, I could focus on the Pokémon that was giggling so hard she was snorting and try to forget the vision she had shown me of her effortlessly hurting three powerful and vicious Pokémon. So I kept laughing and tried to ignore the sinking feeling that things were far from over.


	10. Chapter 10

After a few days of resting, I was feeling like my old self again. It was no Pokémon Center, but whatever herbs and skills Amie had been using provided a good enough substitute. The days passed surprisingly quickly, largely because I spent a great deal of time resting, doctor's orders and all. The rest of the time was spent either talking with Amie about what we should do next or engaging in some kind of physical therapy to make sure that my body would heal properly and my muscles and bones were all in working order. Fortunately, Blackjack had not broken anything when he pummeled me, but there were enough bruises and other blemishes to make sure that I did not take my halting progress towards being fighting fit for granted.

What I found more pressing than my health was how to make sure that Amie would be safe. Given that they had been following her for so long already, I became convinced that the trio of Pokémon that had engaged us would likely be back. As much as she disliked talking about it, I was able to tease out more information from my psychic companion about her past experiences with Blackjack, Scimitar, and Club. While I offered shadows and hints of my doubts and reasoning in our discussions, I kept the plan that I was forming to myself for the most part. Once I had all of the components clear in my head, I presented it to Amie after we finished a meal scavenged from the nearby countryside.

"I think I know a way to get you away from those Pokémon that are after you for a long while, if not for good," I said abruptly.

Amie seemed surprised, her blue eyes widening in the light from that which filtered in through the cave entrance where we had eaten our meal, but she maintained her composure and gestured for me to continue.

"Well, from what you've told me," I began, "it's only these three Pokémon that are after you. They have an ability to get around to chase you, but the fact that you've only seen a Hitmonchan, a Scyther, and a Snorlax this whole time – that they haven't assembled some sort of ambush to intercept you or gathered some sort of reinforcements to help with hunting you down – suggests to me that they don't have any kind of infrastructure or support network. So once you lose those three, you should be in the clear."

Amie sat mulling over what I had said. "What about those devices that they wear over their eyes?" she asked. "Doesn't that suggest an organization of sorts?"

I rubbed my chin thoughtfully with my paw. "Possibly, but it could also be something they stole or picked up along the way. They can track you to a certain degree, but that they had to resort to asking a Pikachu if he had seen you makes me think that they don't have a very strong or wide network supporting them."

"Going back to those tracking devices, how do you plan on getting around them?" Amie asked.

I smiled to myself. "Two ways. First, you're to refrain from using any of your psychic abilities while we travel. Blackjack said that they could track you somewhat from what you emit regularly, but I think that they were only able to pinpoint your location when you used your psychic powers. Second, we're going to hide you, so that even that your basic trail won't be of much use to them."

"And how will we do that?"

"The city of Saffron!" I said with a dramatic flourish of my paws. "It's home to the largest concentration of psychic humans in the world, and psychic humans like Psychic-type Pokémon, so there's plenty of white noise that should be able to obscure you, even if you are a goddess."

"So that's the plan? To hide me in a city?" She did not sound disappointed, not at all, but she did not seem too impressed either. That's when I sprung the next part of my plan.

"Saffron isn't just home to a bunch of telekinetic weirdos," I said. "It's also one of the central hubs for the Magnet Train."

"The what?"

"It's this whole rail system that connects the country, you can get just about anywhere in the Union with it."

"What's a rail system?" Amie asked.

I let out a slightly frustrated exhalation. "The important thing is that this trains can get you out of Kanto and into Johto."

"Why would some human-made boundary do more to stop those three than the ocean I travelled over?"

"Well," I said, trying to put my thoughts into words, "although Kanto and Johto are part of the same country, they still check all the traffic that goes into and out of their jurisdiction to catch smugglers, terrorists, and the like. They don't pay too close attention to small, harmless Pokémon like Rattata or Pikachu, but three powerful and battle-hardened Pokémon like them will raise a lot of suspicion, especially if they're unaccompanied by a trainer. So we'll be able to buy a lot of time for you to get far away."

Her expression was blank, but her head was bobbing in understanding. I was expecting any of a number of questions about my plan ranging from further explanation of the nitty gritty details to reservations about the scheme as a whole. But instead of many questions, Amie only had one. "Zeke, are you well enough to travel?"

"Yeah, I'm right as rain. Whatever was in those mushrooms did wonders for me," I said, downplaying the small, manageable aches I still was suffering from.

"Since we want to get a head-start on that trio we should leave as soon as possible," she said. "Today, if we can."

My eyes widened, but I nodded once sharply. "Alright," I said, "we're going to have to go into the city then. I have an old contact who should be able to help us."

We spent little time in the cave after that conversation, just enough to finish our food and for me to refuse another round of treatments from Amie's fungi. We covered the entrance to the cave with a few nearby ferns, but I convinced my companion to leave the entrance just visible enough to anyone dead-set on finding it. I hoped that would mean Blackjack and his posse would waste valuable time searching the cave. When we were satisfied with our handiwork, Mew took me to the river's edge that served as an unofficial border between the city of Cerulean and the still somewhat untamed wilds. The river was wide, a sparkling blue surface that hardly betrayed the speed that caused rapids closer to Mount Moon. On the other side were a few houses, shacks really, piled on top of and crushed next to one another so that precious room could be devoted to aquatic-based industries that helped sustain the city. The morning sun's position in the sky meant that the dockworkers and fishermen that worked hard to sustain their families' poverty-line existences were gone, their children were most likely in the overcrowded Cerulean public schools, and their wives were out running errands. In other words, it was the perfect time for a daring river crossing undertaken by a legendary Pokémon in the broad daylight.

Amie spent a few minutes looking at the river and what lay beyond, her mouth silently moving in what I assumed was a silent running dialogue of calculation and inspiration. Finally, she spoke, "I have a plan."

I grinned at her. "As long as you're not planning on giving me a psychic heave-ho across, I'm all ears." I gave my black-tipped appendages a slight twitch for emphasis.

She smiled at that, and it was wonderful to see that smile spread across her pink-furred face. "Not quite," she said. "We agreed that I should try to downplay my psychic abilities for a while, but that doesn't mean I don't have other skills."

"I don't think being nice works on bodies of water, Amie."

She shook her head, but did not say a word, instead floating toward the edge of the water. Then she lowered herself towards the ground until she was almost hidden among the reeds that swayed along the river's edge. Her form began to distort and shrink below the pitiful canopy of reeds, but before I could approach her to see if everything was alright, a new shape emerged from among the plants. Slowly, but powerfully, a blue head erupted from the cover, perched on a long, elegant neck and topped with a horn that seemed more gentle than violent. The neck was connected to a body covered with a thick gray shell, upon which numerous spikes were spread, but again this feature seemed to be less threatening in nature than it should have been in theory. The protrusions were spaced far-enough apart that even a few humans could likely all find themselves a perch on this graceful creature's back. This Pokémon began to move into the water of the river, dragging herself along on thick flippers. Then the Lapras turned its neck toward me and chirped, "Hop on!"

"Amie," I whispered, "this is incredible." I walked up to her new form and placed my hand on one of the spikes of her shell, but did not pull myself up yet, preferring instead to let my eyes roam over this majestic being.

"Count yourself lucky you're the servant of such an awe-inspiring goddess!" she laughed.

"Oh hush, you're just a glorified psychic Ditto," I said as I pulled myself onto her back and set about finding a comfortable and safe place to stand for the trip across the water. "Although you're a lot cuter than a Ditto," I said absentmindedly.

Neither of us said anything for the rest of the trek across the river. Amie pulled herself into the water and, after testing out her unfamiliar form, powered across the river, spooking the vivid orange Magikarp in the water with her speed and total disregard for the wishes of the current. I almost wished that the river had been longer, or even a larger body of water altogether, so that I would have the chance to really see what this form could do, but that would have meant an extension of the heavy silence that had settled over us, so I was grateful that the crossing was mercifully brief. After I had disembarked onto a rickety wooden dock that looked like it had not seen better days for at least a decade, Amie transformed back into her Mew form.

Her pink form hovered over to be next to me with a curious look on her face. "It's much bigger than I remembered," she said, and as much as I wanted to make a joke about her long lifespan, the fact was that I felt the same way. I had not been this far from the Viridian Forest since journeying with my trainer. In my disconnected and fading memories, the city of Cerulean was just a few homes, a Pokémon Center, a store, a Pokémon League gym, and a few other landmarks. What I could see before me through the opening provided by an alleyway between two of the countless ramshackle tenements was a city in every sense of the word. Away beyond these slums lay a network of glass and steel buildings honeycombed so densely that you could hardly tell where one building ended and the next began. I had thought it would be easy to quickly find my contact and then get out before Amie's pursuers could close too much of the gap between us and them. Now, looking at this veritable maze, I was not so confident.

I was snapped out of my trance by a tap on my shoulder. I turned around to see a female Pikachu looking at me expectantly. "Are you ready to go?" Amie asked.

Seeing the hope in her eyes, undeterred by any mere physical transformation, filled me with a kind of determination that was not there before. "Yeah," I said, turning my attention back to the challenge before us, "just follow me." Then the two of us set off through the alleyway before us into the heart of Cerulean proper.


	11. Chapter 11

The city of Cerulean may have been bigger than I remembered, but once Amie and I were in the heart of the metropolis I began to feel at home. While living in the woods had had its own kind of charm, the main appeal of the former Viridian Forest for me was that it was situated between two urban areas where I could go and experience, and steal, some of the parts of my past life that I missed. Belonging to a human, no matter for how short a period, had an undeniable impact on any Pokémon, and for one like me that was trained for years the changes were even more pronounced. So I was not surprised that, despite all of my genetic forbearers that had made their lives in the wild, who were born, grew old, and died within the same stretch of woods, I felt far more comfortable among the paved streets and with the smell of engine exhaust underlying a thousand other smells in my nose. I stopped in the middle of an empty sidewalk, rose up on my hind legs, and just sniffed the air. A wealth of information poured into my brain as I quickly, instinctually really, separated the odors from one another and categorized them as "food", "not-food", and "maybe-food".

My concentration was broken when Amie prodded my shoulder gently. "Uh, Zeke, are you okay?" she asked.

I snapped out of my trance and flashed her a grin. "Sorry, just got a whiff of some things I'd missed while we were holed up eating roots and berries." I shook my head to finish clearing the mental fog and then dropped back to all-fours. "Let's go," I said, and we set off to the south.

For all intents in purposes we were just two Pikachu scampering around a big city, hardly an unusual sight in a place like this where merchants, travelers, and especially food congregated and passed through in bulk. We winded around the legs of the stray humans that wandered into our paths, I with the practiced ease of a creature well-versed in the rhythms and movements of the large creatures and Amie with her characteristic politeness, letting human after human pass by instead of taking a chance and leaping through a small gap in the foot traffic. I teased her about this at first, but shut up after a fruit vendor responded by giving the more well-behaved Pokémon a bright red apple from off of his stand.

The scents of a city were one thing, but I also delighted in the noises around me, and not just the honking of horns or the screeching of tires. Any Pokémon has a pretty basic understanding of human communication, or are at least able to follow along the intonations and body language in order to decipher meaning, but spending years with a trainer gives you pretty strong grasp of the language they used to command, to comfort, and to confide. So as Amie and I continued to meander south to our destination, I listened to snippets of the conversations that we passed by. A lot of it was fairly mundane stuff such as a couple having relationship issues or a customer trying to haggle their way for a better deal on some produce. One group of humans we passed by caused me to slow down and try to subtly swivel my ears toward what they were saying. It was a group of four men huddled together on a stoop, all of them fairly elderly and dressed in long coats of varying shades of gray. They were passing around pages of newsprint and murmuring over the contents. I was not able to catch all of it, but the sentence that stuck in my mind was delivered by what appeared to be the youngest of the wizened figures, who said, "I can't believe they would pull something like this! After all we've done for them and they think they can shut us out!" The others murmured more quietly, but their tones indicated that they all agreed with the sentiment.

A part of me wanted to wait for them to disperse and throw away the newspaper so I could attempt to read it myself with what ability to do so I had picked up through osmosis during my training. While Pokémon had their own ways of spreading information, in some ways far more all-encompassing and accurate than similar human efforts, there was something about the crisp display of black and white text that seemed so much more authoritative to me, especially since the latest rumors and developments were compiled and delivered on a daily basis rather than relying on the chance that a flock of migrating Flying-types would settle in for a few days' rest in the forest you called home. As strong as the temptation to reaffirm my fading connection to the life I had once led, the more important factor was Amie and getting her to safety was a time-sensitive issue while whatever had developed such a buzz among those four humans was more likely not. So when Amie gave me a questioning gaze with her big beautiful eyes, I turned away from the council of men debating current events and ran to catch up with her.

We continued on for a few more blocks, playfully nipping at each other's tails and gradually taking our time with getting toward our destination. While I believe that Amie was honestly enjoying our games, I was at least partially doing it in order to take my mind off of things and to try and just enjoy this time with her. If everything went according to plan, she would be in Johto, and I had no idea where I would be. I was pulled away from the thoughts that threatened to pervade my simple joy at being in a city and being with Amie when I found myself looking at our destination.

It was a garishly built building, bright red and designed like a huge transparent doughnut. If the massive glass windows displaying the store's wares did not give away the purpose of the building, the giant inflated bicycle that rested on the top of the doughnut, secured by numerous cables running to the ground, gave it away. The destination was not what was important however. Rather it was the Pokémon standing in front of the store, a slack-jawed Slowbro with a glazed over look in his eyes. When he noticed me looking at him, however, this face transformed from one displaying empty idiocy to a serious gaze. He began to walk towards Amie and I, swinging his Shellder-encrusted tail behind him in a gentle rocking arc.

"You got a lotta nerve showing your face around here, you low-life, double-crossing rat," the pink Pokémon said with real venom in his voice.

Amie flashed a concerned look at me and I quickly stood up on my rear legs, spreading my arms in an attempt at humility. "Come on, Ham, you can't still be holding that against me."

The larger Pokémon drew nearer, looming over me. I was about to start charging the pouches in my cheeks when like a flash the Slowbro's narrowed eyes widened in mirth and he wrapped me up in a tight hug. "Zeke!" he laughed. "You should have seen the look on your face." Before his tight grip could do too much damage, I was released and the pastel-colored creature made his way over to Amie. "Well, well, well," he said with a slanted grin, "I never figured you to be the type to settle down, Ezekiel!" He took one of the still-startled Pokémon's paws, bowed low, and kissed it. "Hamilton Sheldon Scott, Esquire, at your service, miss?" he said in a charming baritone.

"I'm Amie," she giggled.

"Charmed," the Slowbro said. He stood back up and turned back to me. "So, Zeke," Hamilton said, switching gears, "what brings you all the way out here?"

"I was looking for you, we need your help," I admitted.

His rounded ears perked up at that. "Really? Do tell."

"It's important. Can you talk?"

Hamilton shot a glance behind him at the bicycle retailer. "Yeah, I should be good for a bit."

I peered around him to try and look through the large windows showcasing displays of sleek two-wheelers. "She's still seeing that guy, then?" I asked.

"Not exactly," the pink Pokémon sighed. "They had a nasty break-up after she said that a clerk at a bicycle store was never going to get anywhere in life. But with the possibility that he might be called up soon, they're probably making up and making out in there."

The three of us took seats on the curb outside of the bike shop. "For reasons I can't really go into I need to get this Pikachu, Amie, over the border into Johto," I said. "The Magnet Train looks like our best bet."

Hamilton smiled a wide grin showing his puny fangs. "There's something you're not telling me, Ezekiel, but that's okay. I know a lot about playing things close to the chest. What do you need from me?" said Hamilton.

"I've been out of things for a while, but you've always known this city like the back of your hand," I explained. "We need to know which Magnet Train stop in Cerulean would be the easiest for two stray Pokémon to board without attracting any attention."

Hamilton stroked his chin thoughtfully for a moment. "You aren't planning anything illegal, are you?" the larger Pokémon asked. I gave him a sharp look and he laughed. "Kidding, kidding, Ezekiel. That's none of my business. My business is telling you that there's a station a few blocks to the north where there's been some kind of construction work under way over the past few weeks to expand it into some kind of regional hub. Because of that, most of the ticketing booths are closed off, save for one or two. While that's a problem for the humans, two nimble electric mice should be able to get through most of the so-called barriers that the humans put up and hop on the first train going towards Saffron."

"Thanks, Ham," I said, shaking one of his paws with both of mine. "This is really important to me."

The Slowbro chuckled. "Then you owe me one the next time you're in Cerulean, okay?"

I gave him a nod and Amie thanked him before we started to head north.

"You keep an eye on him, alright, Amie?" Hamilton shouted after us with a final laugh before turning his attention back to resuming his charade of being completely out of it.

After we had gone past the bicycle store, Amie told me that she was reaching the time limit on her transformation. We ducked into a side alley and Amie's form began to melt and reshape from that of a yellow Pikachu to her true form as Mew, literal Pokémon goddess. Right before she changed back, she said, "Your friend seemed nice. How do you know him?"

"Hamilton?" I said, trying not to stare at the process of Amie becoming a Pikachu out of some strange desire to respect her modesty. Another legacy of being trained by a human I suppose. "He's alright," I continued. "We used to run together for a while when my trainer was staying in Cerulean, and when I was on my own, I came back to the city for a while and we did a few small jobs together."

Amie was back to being a Pikachu like me, albeit a much more feminine one, and a more beautiful one if I had to be honest with myself. "What happened with your trainer, anyways?" she asked with a kind of innocent curiosity.

But I was not ready to answer that question. Not now, with a pressing goal before me. "It's not important," I said. "Come on, it's just a little longer to the station Hamilton told us about." Coming out of the alley, I set off down the pavement, trusting that Amie was close behind. After a few minutes of walking at this pace, we found ourselves deposited into a square where a surprising number of people for this time of day were about, with some hurrying to their destinations, others milling about, and a few caught somewhere halfway in-between the two extremes. A series of monorail tracks that dipped from the horizon into a station and then rose up to the sky again as they passed over or around the people in the square. This was the last hurdle, I told myself. If I could get Amie on the Magnet Train and into Johto, everything would be okay.


	12. Chapter 12

The two of us made our way to the outskirt of the crowd that had gathered outside of the station, and not a minute too soon, in my opinion. It was a mass of people, all pushing and bustling in order to try and gain access to either the single open pair of turnstiles leading to the tracks, or to the ticket station, which was manned by a harried-looking bespectacled man who looked positively terrified of the mob. People jostled into one another and shouted in response to both real and perceived rudeness, but stopped short of antagonizing the two heavily-armed guards dressed in the khaki uniforms of the Tohjo Union's armed forces who stood to the side of the turnstiles to deter jumpers as well as potentially more serious crimes. They looked at the crowd of citizens hemmed into the narrow pathways provided to them for their journeying with stone-faced silence that seemed to serve just as effectively as the powerful-looking guns they held in front of their barreled chests at preventing any of the isolated scuffles in the crowd from erupting into a general outbreak of violence.

Overall, it was clear to me that it would not be worth trying to get through this multitude, as I thought that it would be far too easy for Amie and I to get trampled underfoot or, even if we could avoid that, getting apprehended by two professional soldiers who would likely not be too sympathetic to the plight of two Pokémon, no matter how cute they were. No, it was better to find another way in, and it seemed like it would be easy enough to do so. After all, the construction had not only shut down most of the entrances to the boarding area for the Magnet Train, but it had also concentrated people at what two openings still existed, creating a ready and effective distraction without me needing to do any work. "Come on," I said, briefly grabbing one of Amie's yellow paws in one of my own, before darting away from the crowd of people, mindful of any sounds or smells that would signal that the men guarding the entrance had any idea of what was going through my head.

Once we were a few yards away from the commotion, I tilted my head toward one of the turnstiles that was covered with a mess of tape warning people off. Making sure that the coast was clear, I sprinted over to the obstructed path and held up some of the tape in order to make an entrance large enough for a Pikachu to squeeze through before frantically beckoning Amie to go through. She obliged, and once she was through, she mimicked my actions from the other side of the threshold and I followed after, working quickly and hoping that my yellow fur would provide some kind of camouflage with the similarly-colored tape.

We caught our breath, leaning against the out-of-order plastic-coated machinery of the turnstile for support. "I think I'm getting close to my limit, Zeke," my transformed companion said. "Can you cover me while I change?"

I nodded my assent and averted my eyes as Amie changed back into her natural form as Mew, a literal goddess of Pokémon, and then back into the shape of a female Pikachu, so similar to my own body in the larger trends of the species, but different enough in important ways where I could notice the differences that her femininity granted her. Once she was finished cycling through the forms, she chirped, "Done!" and I turned back around.

"Let's go then," I said and began exploring the sectioned-off part of the station. As Ham had said, there appeared to be a lot of construction going on, with plenty of piles of earth and a number of empty vehicles capable of moving them and making more of them scattered about, a nice sign that my old acquaintance was still at least a little trustworthy. This heavy machinery did not look the least bit familiar to any that I had seen during past projects, like those I had observed taking place on the highway parallel to the Viridian Forest before it had been burned down. Instead of being painted in bright colors, they were colored with subdued shades of tan and green. Furthermore, the work on the tunnels seemed to be on a far greater scale than I had expected to see. Instead of just touching up on the construction that had been a part of Cerulean for as long as I could remember, it looked like there were some massive earthworks underway, that seemed designed to both create more lines of rail but also to adjust the size of the tracks, placing the two parallel iron bars farther apart in the tracks that smelled and looked more recent. I assumed that this would mean that they could accommodate a heavier load than usual, but I could not fathom why this would be necessary unless all of the news stories about humans getting fatter and fatter were a lot more pressing than I had made them out to be.

My observations were cut short by Amie as she called my attention to an opening that she had found leading to the untouched part of the station. I tried to be enthusiastic about this progress, but I was a little disappointed to be torn away from my investigations and I think that Amie picked up on it. Before she could say anything though, I led her through the passage she had found.

We found ourselves staring at the series of track and platforms that comprised the interior of the Cerulean Central Magnet Train Station. More people were inside than were out, but their dispersal across a greater area, as well as the numbing effect of waiting for something, made it a less hostile and unpredictable environment. I led Amie around the humans, ducking behind a sign or slipping into a shadowy corner when there was a risk of discovery, and often having to pull my too-trusting companion after me. The humans we were encountering may not have been on top of their game, but there would be something just plain conspicuous about two yellow Pokémon boarding a train without a human accompanying them. This was the great downside to the human world: for all of its splendor and treasures, it just was not easy for a Pokémon to make their way alone. Some quote about the pros and cons of serving in heaven versus ruling in hell flitted through my mind, but the memory was old and stale and I was not able to attach a speaker or an author to the idea.

No matter. The past was the past and the present was the present, I thought to myself just before I my eyes set upon a man wheeling a small trolley ladled high with boxes toward the northern end of the platform, the farthest end from Saffron. I glanced at Amie and made a series of gestures with my head, face, ears, and tail in order to convey what I had seen.

Her response was a blank stare.

After letting out a sigh, I quickly explained, "There's a cart full of boxes that I think are going to be loaded onto the next train and what looks like only a single man handling the work. If we can find a hiding spot closer to that spot, we should be able to get on board. After all, it'll be easier to sneak past one person than many."

The disguised legendary Pokémon nodded, and, after again taking painstaking care to make sure that our path was clear, the two of us set off, sneaking behind the turned back of commuters either too tired or too preoccupied with their technological distractions to notice. We made it past the bulk of the waiting people, and found another hiding place behind a pillar a little bit past the pile of boxes sitting on the now-abandoned orange trolley. Darting my head around the side of the pillar, I poured over the electronic board hanging above the head of the waiting people that detailed the arrival and departure times of the next few trains. Despite the construction and the armed guards outside the station, it looked like Cerulean was still receiving trains to Saffron every fifteen minutes, with the next one scheduled to arrive very shortly, to my relief. Satisfied, I returned to stand by Amie behind the stone pillar. "It won't be long," I said, settling against the smooth stone to try and get comfortable as best I could.

"Good," my companion said. "How long do you think that it will take for us to get into Johto?"

"Uh, I don't know for sure."

"How long did it take last time you went?" Amie asked, fixing me with her wide-eyed gaze.

I coughed into my hand and muttered something quietly.

"What was that?"

"I've actually never been there before," I repeated, before hastily adding, "but I'm sure this plan will work!"

Amie's smile spread across her face like a sunrise over a field and she said, "Don't fret, I have confidence in you."

The train started to pull in, giving me an excuse to tear my eyes away from Amie and focus on something else. The doors by the waiting humans hissed open and spit out a number of people in business attire who pushed and shoved in their rush to get out of the station and to wherever their destinations were. The door by the waiting cargo boxes did not open until the attendant pressed a card against a panel to the side of the door, but once it slid open, he quickly set to work, tossing the boxes haphazardly into the open door. I watched him carefully in order to get the timing of his motions down just right as he settled into a routine of picking up each crate, swiveling around to the open door, tossing it in, and then turning back to the trolley for the next victim of his rough handling. Once I was confident that I had it down, I sprinted behind the stack of boxes when he was turning to toss one of them through the open door and then dashed through that opening as soon as he turned to pick up another box. It was a struggle to find a comfortable place in the car where there was no danger of being hit by any of the unsecured objects that were sure to roll around once the train got moving, but I managed to discover a small perch by the window that could accommodate two relatively small Pokémon.

I had no sooner finished crawling up on that narrow ledge that Amie appeared inside of the car. She paused to catch her breath and then allowed me to help her up onto the roost I had found. "That was fun!" she said once the door had closed and we were both comfortably situated.

Before I could respond an automated female voice echoed through the train, saying, "Stand clear of the doors. Train now departing. Next stop: Saffron."

"Well, that settles it," I said to Amie once the announcement had concluded, "we're on our way to the city of Saffron."

"Is anyone going to bother us?"

"Nah, this is a cargo car, and if anyone cared about that I'm sure that guy would've been much more careful with all of these boxes."

"Oh good," Amie said and her body began to shift and mold first into an amorphous rose-colored blob before regaining the features and appearance of her true form as Mew. She noticed my studied attempt not to stare, but must have misinterpreted it as she said quietly, "It's a lot of fun being a Pikachu like you, Zeke, but I just thought that it would be better not to risk running out of time."

"It's fine," I reassured her, at which her body from her ears to her long thin tail perked up noticeably and she did a small loop through the space above all of the crates, relishing her regained ability to fly. "So, how do you want to pass the time?"

"I was thinking that you could tell me more about your past," she said, before adding, "I mean traveling around with a trainer and all of that. What was that like?"

"Aw, come on, you don't want to hear that," I chuckled, but as I looked into her big, expectant blue eyes, I knew that I was kidding myself. So I took a deep breath, made myself comfortable on my makeshift seat, and began to tell her about my life before.


	13. Chapter 13

"I guess it all started off simply enough," I said. "I was a wild Pokémon and he was a trainer travelling through the forest I called home. Back then, I was younger and more reckless. You could call it cockiness, if you wanted to. I took stupid risks and never planned too far ahead because I was convinced that no one could ever hope to catch me." I chuckled a little bit at the follies of my youth. "When he entered the woods, every Pokémon knew it and only the weak and the stupid stayed behind. I should have thought more about why I was the only Pokémon who wanted to test themselves against a human opponent in battle. Sure, I had some experience fighting, but it was mostly small scrapes and scuffles with my buddies, nothing serious. When I fought him, however, it was completely different."

"How so?" Amie asked.

"Well, for starters, he had a plan. Up until then, my experience of fighting was all instinct. Acting in the moment and seizing opportunities as they arose, that was my style. But he was masterful. Used the environment against me, gauged my strengths and limits early on in the fight, and lured me into a number of traps. I wish I could say that I held my own, but in all honesty, I know he was taking it easy on me. And that was the other big difference. Even though I was a wild Pokémon and he was a human, it was a sporting battle. It made more sense when he captured me after I had been weakened enough, but there was still something almost honorable about the way that he and his Pokémon matched wits and skills against my own.

"After he had caught me, he explained to me that he was on a quest to become a great Pokémon trainer. I did not know what that all entailed, but I was more than happy to help out. I had dreams of glory and I wanted to learn more from the training that this human could give me, and for a while everything worked out. We fought as partners in more battles than I can remember, against Gym Leaders, other trainers, wild Pokémon, you name it. After we had completed our trek through the country and placed respectably enough in his division of the League Championships, he told me that there was far more to the world than what I had known. There were other countries across vast oceans, with new Pokémon and new challenges to face. I was hooked on the life. I would have followed him anywhere and I nearly did."

Amie cocked her pink head to the side at that. "What do you mean 'nearly'?"

"Well, a Pokémon trainer is only allowed to have six battling Pokémon with them at any time for some reason. So some years I would be left with his parents while he traveled and trained, before rejoining him to lend a helping hand during big tournaments. I missed being part of the team terribly, but I was hardly the only Pokémon he left behind so there was plenty of company. Plus, I got to spend some time with his parents, going with them when they ran errands, went to church, and the like."

"Church?"

"It's not important. Anyways, I had the chance to join him again as we set off to the country of Orre, where they had finally succeeded in establishing their own Pokémon League and were offering huge incentives for trainers to come and be the first to take on the challenge. Things were going well at first, but then during one of the gym battles, my trainer collapsed. At first they thought it was stress or dehydration or something, but it wasn't. He was sick. Really sick.

"That put an end to his traveling and his dreams. He moved back home with his parents, and, a few months after that, into a hospital. He was dying and every day that went by saw him getting weaker and weaker, no matter what the doctors tried. It felt wrong, still feels wrong, that I had to watch him slowly waste away to nothing. He wasn't even full-grown and had to face the fact that he never would be."

"Zeke, I'm sorry," Amie started, but I continued on without hearing her.

"His whole family basically moved into the hospital they spent so much time there, and because he insisted, they brought his Pokémon to visit him. A couple of them refused to go back after the first time they saw him lying in that bed hooked up to all kinds of machines, his hair all gone. They didn't want to see their beloved master and friend like that, and I don't blame them. But I kept going back. I felt I owed that much to him.

"That's when I taught myself how to read actually. While I had picked some of it up from our travels and my time around his house while he was gone, there was never really a need. Every e-mail he sent home was read aloud to us Pokémon by his parents and we dissected every word. But once he got sick, no one wanted to share information with his Pokémon anymore. In order to know what was going on, I had to be able to read the charts and reports of the doctors, even if I had to steal some of them from under the nose of the hospital staff, and that meant I had to struggle to figure out what all of these strange symbols and pictures meant. It wasn't easy, and it meant a lot of time spent pouring over books in the lounge while he slept. It was a lot of hard work, but I did it. Ended up not helping a lick with most of the medical terms, but by then it didn't matter. Soon it wasn't just the words on paper but the whispers among the nurses and the doctors outside of his room that sounded dire. All of my work ended up being for nothing because there was no hiding what was plain to see.

"By then, the hospital bills were mounting and his parents resorted to selling off his Pokémon in order to pay for them. They started with the bigger and more impressive ones, but when they couldn't make up the difference, they moved onto the less rare ones. Like me.

"What made it worse that, by then, he had already given up even if his folks hadn't. He was barely awake for most days, and I don't think he ever knew what was going on. Still they kept trying to keep him alive, prolonging his life. I don't think he was in pain or suffering too much by then, I think he as just resigned to it.

"By the time it came down to selling a Pikachu to keep a dying boy alive, I didn't complain. I was resigned to it in a way as well. But as soon as the money changed hands, I split from my new owner and headed back to the forest where I had first been found so many years before. But things were different now. I had been changed too much from my time among humans and I didn't fit in with the wild ones. There were habits and tastes that were incredibly hard to break. Fitting in with the others was no longer an option, but that was fine by me. I was unique among these Pokémon, and that gave me a new sense of pride.

"It was a lonely existence. All of the other Pokémon, even the ones I had grown up with, seemed like strangers to me, and of course I was even stranger to them. I thought about waiting for another trainer to come along, or even going out and looking for one, but I couldn't. The thought of going through all of the experiences again was awful to comprehend. There was a boy, about the same age as my trainer when he found me, but far less confident and far less skillful. Three times he entered the Viridian Forest searching for a Pikachu and three times I was the lone Pokémon who stood before him. Just like before, I was the only Pokémon who didn't run as soon as the trainer entered the forest, and just like before it was out of my own pride. Except now, it was tinged with confidence borne not out of petty scuffles and youthful arrogance but out of hard-fought trials.

"Every one of our clashes went largely the same way. He had a few Pokémon, but he was not very good at using them well. It didn't help that the Pokémon and their trainer both gave off an aura of being used to failure and coming up short, sad as it sounds. After running circles around him, he would take his Pokémon with him and leave the forest with his frizzy red head of hair hung low in disappointment. It was sad, but in a way kind of refreshing to have my routine broken up by his efforts. Maybe some part of me was hoping each fight would be the one where he finally triumphed over me, but I never got the chance to find out."

"Why is that?" Amie asked.

"Because you showed up and changed everything," I said, allowing myself to smile.

Not long after I had finished talking, the same automated female voice from before came on over the speaker system, announcing, "Arriving in Saffron City. Transfers to the Green, Purple, and Red Lines are available."

After the locomotive slowed down to a halt at the Saffron station, my ears perked up in relief after the harsh screeching of metal had ceased. I could hear the doors open and people getting on and off of the train. The door before us did not open, however. "Looks like we have to make our own way out," I grunted and leapt to the floor of the car. A small panel was next to the exit, slightly above my head. I concentrated, feeling the surge of power in my cheeks, before releasing a small arc of electricity at the display. The screen was overcome with static and the keyboard began to smoke as the smell of burning plastic filled my nose. The important thing was that, with a strained hissing sound, the door slid open, allowing Amie and I to escape the confines of the train.

"Ready?" I queried, turning my head back to my travel companion.

"Ready," she said, already transformed from being Mew back into being a Pikachu. The two of us sprung from the car, far from the bulk of the passengers who were still boarding actual passenger cars rather than attempting to stow away with the cargo. "Do you think it'll be okay with a door hanging open like that?" Amie asked.

"Yeah, I'm sure it's fine," I said as my eyes scanned the electronic board of arrivals and departures hung up on the wall of the station. My excitement was replaced with shock as I found that every time that the express between Saffron and Goldenrod was listed, the area where the time of arrival would normally be listed was reading "out of service" in crimson uppercase letters instead of a time. "No, no, no," I whispered to myself.

"Zeke, what's wrong?"

"That doesn't make any sense," I continued. The Saffron-Goldenrod Express was _the _main line of the Magnet Train. It was how the whole rail line got started. There was no reason why it should be out of commission. I felt nauseous and stumbled as I walked away from the board. Overestimating just how much support I needed, I leaned into a small nearby waste bin and it toppled over with a clatter. Various pieces of trash fell out of the receptacle; leftover food, cigarettes, and all of the other hallmarks of humans. But what caught my eye was the dirtied newspaper that was now laying half in and half out of the garbage can.

"We should go, Zeke," Amie said urgently. "People are looking at us."

Instead of answering, I picked up the soiled paper with trembling paws and looked at the front page. Above a color photo showing lines of grim-faced soldiers, menacing Pokémon, and imposing vehicles stretching off far into the horizon, in bold black letters still harsh against the no longer white paper, was the headline, "Johto Closes Border", and beneath it, in barely smaller letters, "Is War Inevitable?".


	14. Chapter 14

"What's wrong?"

A whirlwind of thoughts tumbled through my head. It was not only more important to get Amie out of the country, but that had just gotten much more difficult. In the chaos of a war, a Pokémon unfamiliar with dealing with humans would maybe be able to blend in better, but whoever was after her would also have a freer hand in trying to capture the legendary Pokémon. What was worse was the fact that if the war went on for too long, then bombs would start to fall on the cities of Kanto and Johto and then no one would be safe. In Orre I had seen the aftershocks of war up close and personal, and even long after the dust had settled the land was still scarred and the inhabitants were still hardened by their experiences. No, Amie was not safe in Kanto, period. Escape was no longer possible by rail and attempting to cross the border separating the two members of the Tohjo Union would be suicidal during wartime. That left the sea. The islands to the south would not be safe enough, it would be necessary to go farther away, much farther away. With some semblance of a plan in mind, my resolve to protect my friend was hardened. "We have to get out of here," I said simply and led us out of the station.

The network of glass spires and concrete betrayed Saffron's status as the primary powerhouse of the Kantonese economy and government, hosting both a large number of multinational companies and independent tech start-ups as well many halls of political power. We moved steadily south of the station, pausing to rest at a monument commemorating some famous general and his noble Rapidash steed in stone. "There's likely a war coming," I said to Amie. After all it was best to get that out of the way instead of dancing around it. "The trains aren't going in or out of Johto anymore because the humans here are going to fight with those humans."

To my surprise, the transformed Pokémon nodded in understanding. "That explains it."

"Explains what?"

"There's a kind of heaviness in the air, a sense of power," she elaborated with a shrug. It must be a kind of psychic broadcast given off by all of the humans here."

Intrigued, I turned my attention to watch the pedestrians walking past the bench where we had chosen as our resting space. Many of them were dressed in crisp suits and business wear, carrying briefcases and talking hurriedly on their phones. It seemed like the prospect of civil war had woken up the capital of the country and sent all of the people in the city frantically scrambling in response to this looming catastrophe. A number of them were not making any attempt at multitasking by working and walking at the same time, instead they were clutching their heads or rubbing their temples, I assumed, in order to alleviate headaches. "This psychic thing, is it just you or could they pick it up?" I asked as I turned to Amie.

"Hmm," she responded as her own eyes started to follow the same humans I was watching. "I suppose if it's strong enough they could pick up traces of it."

"You said that it gave off this feeling of power. Why would it be coming off of the humans? They look more anxious than powerful."

Again, Amie shrugged her yellow shoulders. "I don't really understand it, but I guess with a large enough population there would be probably enough emotions to generate something like this. I can't imagine something else that could be giving off this kind of aura." Now it was her turn to ask something. "Why are you so worried about the humans fighting?"

"What?" I asked incredulously.

She gave me a curious look. "Well, if this human war is anything like the last one it won't last very long."

"When's the last war you remember?"

That gave her pause and she finally said, "Almost a century since I paid attention to one."

I could not help but grimace at that. "Amie, warfare has changed a lot. Humans have developed all kinds of weapons and strategies in the past hundred years. War is brutal and devastating now. No one is safe, that's why we have to get you out of here."

She looked skeptical but did not argue which I took as acquiescence if not outright agreement. The only thing my companion said was, "Where to then?"

I laid out my thought process for turning to the sea for an escape route, and ended by saying, "So we should head to Vermillion and try to catch a ship getting far away from here. There might be a blockade or something so the sooner we get there the better."

Amie got off of the bench where we were sitting and stretched out. "So, do we have a plan?"

I hopped off the bench and started to answer in the affirmative, when I saw something that stopped the word in my throat. Across the street, through the throngs of people, I saw three familiar shapes. "Oh no," I whispered.

It was Blackjack, Scimitar, and Club. The three Pokémon who had been chasing Amie. I recognized them from the devices affixed to the side of the Snorlax's and Scyther's heads, but they seemed hardened compared to the last time that I had seen the trio, not just from the scars that marked their bodies but also their eyes which were absent of anything other than a cold determination that sent chills down my spine and caused the yellow fur at the back of my neck and on my arms to rise up. The three of them were moving through the crowd, pushing through it and ignoring the numerous cries of indignation that rose up as a response.

"Amie, we have to go!" I whispered harshly as I watched the trio make their steady approach.

She had seen them as well then, and it was at that point that two staring Pikachu tipped them off that they had definitely found their targets and their pace quickened. She said nothing, but rather to my shock she began to dissolve into a pink goo before reforming into her true form as the legendary Pokémon Mew faster than I had ever seen her do so before.

As soon as her transformation had begun, Scimitar launched into an attack, her angular green form leaping above the crowd and coming down with a heavy blow of her scythes aimed at my head. Her attack took me completely by surprise, but instead of being sliced in half, the polished blades glanced off of a pink barrier that had appeared in front of me. I shot a glance to my left and saw Amie floating a few inches above the ground, her pink paws stretched out towards me and her blue eyes filled with determination. Then, with a sweep of her limbs, the bubble became a wall that pushed Scimitar away and into the now scattering crowd. The reptilian Pokémon twisted in the air and caught herself on the paved street with a snarl. The humans had been torn by the twin desires to see Pokémon fight, especially one as strange as the pink one that appeared to be a powerful Psychic-type, and their own sense of self-preservation, but as soon as a creature covered in blades was hurtling towards them they quickly decided in favor of the latter.

Blackjack and Club had made their way over to join up with their fallen comrade. He reached out a red gloved hand to help Scimitar up, but she swatted it away with the flat side of one of her scythes as she rose snarling back up to her feet. The trio of powerful Pokémon struck fighting poses readying an attack, I responded in kind by clenching my fists, widening my stance, and charging the pouches in my cheeks with electrical energy.

The only Pokémon who did not seem ready to fight was Mew, who dipped lower from her position in the air and clutched at her forehead as the pink wall in front of me flickered briefly before regaining a solid state.

Something drew the attention of some of our opponents away from this odd occurrence as Scimitar and Club had turned their heads to gaze up at the sky to the east as a series of numbers appeared to run across the red glass of their eyepieces. Their Hitmonchan ally, however, was still glaring daggers at Amie and I. "What is it?" he grunted.

"The scanners are picking up another source of psychic power moving rapidly towards us," Club said, attempting to fiddle with his device with his large clumsy paws. Scimitar nodded in agreement.

"Whatever it is, it can wait," Blackjack said. "We have Mew right here and its powers are on the fritz."

His two allies turned back to look at us in wordless agreement and I attempted to think a question at Amie. She did not respond, so I took the risk and asked, "Is everything okay?"

She gave a slight shake of her head and my blood ran cold. The last time we had fought these three I had gotten trounced just by Blackjack. In fact, if Amie had not intervened, Scimitar would have sliced and diced me already. If her powers were somehow not working this was going to be a brutally one-sided fight.

"What do we do?"

She gritted her teeth as another ripple ran through the barrier she was projecting. Then, the barrier returned to its previous shape as a bubble encapsulating me and without warning, the slight pink Pokémon took off like a shot down the streets of Saffron, dragging the pink bubble behind her. We made it around the first corner when I heard Blackjack yell, "Scimitar, after her! Club, head towards Vermillion to cut them off! Don't let anything get in your way!"

I glanced behind me and saw that, sure enough, the Scyther pursuing us had taken her last order literally as she barreled through the few remaining humans and Pokémon that got in her way, even scratching up a few parked cars in her dogged pursuit. Amie, on the other hand, was flying low to the ground and attempting to duck and weave between any of the obstacles that we encountered, although my bubble bumped into more than a couple of vehicles during this madcap chase. "Amie," I shouted, "can you take us any higher?"

"Sorry Zeke," she quickly replied, "I'm doing all I can just to stay airborne."

I briefly shut up after that to let her focus, but after taking a look at the sky I came to a realization. "Uh, why are we heading east?"

"If this force or whatever is throwing off those machines on their faces then maybe it can help us lose them," she replied with a voice that sounded far too strained with exertion for a self-proclaimed goddess of Pokémon.

We only just made it past the outskirts of Saffron when Amie collapsed. We were almost to the suburbs when she had decided to take a detour through a children's park, out of some desire to trip up Scimitar with some metal obstacles I suspect. The remains of the jungle gym and swing sets bore testament to the failure of that strategy. First, Amie's soft pink body seemed to just fall out of the sky even as she kept her momentum, causing her to skid through the grass of a sports field until she came to a stop. The pink bubble I was in lasted only a fraction of a second longer and I fell to a position not too far from her, rolling to a rough stop on the field. Hearing her shallow and ragged breathes hurt, and I stood up and began preparing for a fight to hold Scimitar off while Amie recovered.

The green Scyther seemed to sense my intentions as she came to a professional if not graceful stop about a yard away from Amie's fallen form. "There's no point resisting, you little rat," she said with a sinister grin as she rubbed her blades together in anticipation. "My coworkers already know where you've led me. I expect that they'll be here shortly to help secure your little friend. But in the meantime, if you want to die standing up I'd be more than happy to grant your wish." With that, she shifted her right foot backwards and spread her scythes and wings in a fighting stance. I had already begun charging my cheeks and was about to let loose with everything I had in order to buy Amie some chance to escape when Scimitar's head jerked up suddenly, all pretense of combat readiness vanishing in a moment, and I involuntarily followed suit.

Above the field was a powerful feline creature, with skin colored a sickly gray save for a purple underbelly. As it descended to the ground, I noticed that it was tall, about the size of an adult human male and its spindly arms seemed odd in comparison to its powerful legs. Some kind of tube ran out of the back of its head to its back and its face was empty and expressionless. This strange creature touched down on the balls of its feet before lowering itself down to take a closer look at Amie.

"Get away from her," I cried and made a lunge for it. The creature did not look even dignify me with a look, but rather gave a gentle but swift downward swipe of one of its three-fingered hands that sent me face first into a mouthful of grass and dirt. I spat the foreign substances out, but any attempt to get up was being resisted by an invisible force keeping me down. The creature's attention was focused entirely on Amie who seemed to shudder more and more violently the closer that it got to her. When it touched her however, her struggling stopped and her body went nearly limp.

_Are you Mew?_ I heard a deep masculine voice echo in my head, much louder than anything Amie had ever used.

_Yes_, came the weak reply.

_I am Mew too_.


	15. Chapter 15

All of us were silent. Scimitar's anger now appeared to be tinged with an undercurrent of confusion and Amie looked like she was going to throw up at any second, although whether this was because of this strange new foe's announcement or the effect that her close proximity to him was having on her body I could not say. As for myself, I had managed to pull myself back onto my feet after the towering creature had pushed me into the ground of the park with a wave of psychic energy. I tried to catch Amie's attention, but her usually bright and expressive blue eyes were shut tightly and her breaths came in ragged gasps. Figuring that the best thing I could do would be to distract this powerful Pokémon however I could so that my companion, my friend, could make her escape, I began charging my cheeks with electricity, ignoring the lingering buzz in the back of my head that seemed to be a symptom of the psychic Pokémon's mere presence.

Before I could unleash so much as a single spark, however, a sound broke through the eerie quiet of the scene. A beaten-up truck pulled jerkily into the open area of the park. Behind the wheel was Blackjack the Hitmonchan and in the flatbed sat Club the Snorlax. As the vehicle lurched to a stop, the former pulled himself out of the cabin and the latter crawled over the side, causing the vehicle to lean perilously to one side and the metal to whine under the weight and strain being exerted on it. "Scimitar, report!" Blackjack barked as he and Club rushed to their comrade's side, the heavy Normal-type fiddling with the red device affixed to the side of his head which was now beeping frantically and urgently.

"This…Pokémon," Scimitar grunted, hesitating a bit at what to term the stranger before her, "calls itself 'Mewtwo'. It's a powerful psychic. Its driving my scanner crazy."

"Yeah, mine won't shut up," Club muttered as he delivered a smack to the still beeping metal, glass, and plastic contraption that he wore.

Blackjack absentmindedly rubbed one of his red gloves at the side of his head where he had worn his own scanner before I had destroyed it, all the while keeping his glare trained on the gray and purple Pokémon that held Amie in his strange three-fingered grip. This odd creature watched the discussion among the trio with a look of idle curiosity, its expression betraying nothing else. "Why does it have our Mew?" the tan Fighting-type finally said to the others.

"Because it grabbed it, Blackjack," the Scyther replied with a roll of her eyes.

"Thank you for your contribution, Scimitar," the Hitmochan said with a hard edge in his voice. "Let me try again. Why does it _still_ have our Mew?"

Getting the hint, both Scimitar and Club began to fan out to better surround the Pokémon holding Mewtwo. Blackjack headed up the middle and dropped into a fighting stance. "Drop the Mew, or prepare to fight," he said in a tone that conveyed all of the interest of a disinterested bureaucrat.

_Can we do both?_ the creature's voice echoed in my mind with a kind of vacant disinterest before Mewtwo tossed Amie toward me with a whip-like flick of his wrist. I caught her in my arms, but the force of her body hitting mine still sent me tumbling over, but at least I cushioned Amie's pink-furred body with my own. _I have seen so many of these so-called Pokémon battles_, Mewtwo's telepathic broadcast continued as he dropped into a stance that mimicked Blackjack's, _and I would very much like to try one out for myself_.

"You've never been in a Pokémon battle?" Scimitar asked incredulously.

Club grinned at the news however. "Good," the Snorlax rumbled, "he'll be a fun main course."

Blackjack's own countenance betrayed some mirth as well. "Then please let us be the first to introduce you to a world of pain!"

With that, the three powerful Pokémon launched themselves at Mewtwo. Scimitar with her scythes gleaming menacingly, Club licking his lips as his massive bulk ran forward to meet his foe, and Blackjack with one fist pulled back ready to deliver a devastating haymaker. Instead of meeting the psychic Pokémon, however, the trio's respective assaults petered out as their target had used his powerful legs to leap high up in the air. _My turn_, was all Mewtwo said telepathically as he held up one of his hands and a small black sphere, about the size of a baseball, that crackled with streams of blue electricity appeared between his three digits. With an unnerving silence, his whole body dipped forward as the gray and purple Pokémon flung the ball of sinister energy at the ground where he had been standing just moments before.

Despite the small size of the missile, the effect was tremendous. A powerful explosion rocked the whole field, leaving my ears ringing. When the dust had cleared a little bit, I saw a crater of shocking size and depth, centered on where the black sphere had made it impact. Blackjack, Club, and Scimitar had all been thrown backwards by the explosion and looked to be not only bruised and scuffed up by the force of Mewtwo's attack but also dazed at the sheer power this Pokémon who claimed no prior battling experience had wielded. Blackjack was trying to shout something, but being all that much closer to the detonation must have left their senses of hearing even more damaged than mine which was only coming back slowly. Although it sounded like he was far, far away, I could make out the Hitmonchan yelling over and over again, "Get the Mew and retreat! Get the Mew and retreat!" When the message failed to be conveyed verbally, he caught the other dazed Pokémon's sights and gestured to them with his long arms in a series of complicated gestures. Both Scimitar and Club nodded in response although the latter seemed less sure on his feet than the former.

The trio began to advance on Amie and I so I once again began charging my red cheek pouches with electricity. They did not get more than a few yards away, however, when Mewtwo's voice echoed in my head again, _No, we are not finished yet_. Now back on the ground the powerful creature extended his spindly arms and made a quick tugging motion, pulling his opponents into the makeshift arena formed by the crater. They landed in a crumpled heap and, in spite of my biological instincts screaming at me to get out of there as fast as possible, I crept closer to see what was about to transpire.

The trio managed to disentangle themselves and resume their combat stances, but their cockiness was gone. Instead their faces looked worried, with three pairs of eyes darting around in search of an exit. Mewtwo cocked his head at this change in attitude. _Are you not enjoying yourselves?_ he asked with a loud telepathic broadcast. _I tried taking it easy on you, but if you would rather I finish this quickly I can oblige_.

With that, the psychic Pokémon curled his strange hands into fists and widened his powerfully-built legs. He lowered his head and began to shiver. A wave of invisible force pushed out from the center of the crater where Mewtwo stood, sending another flurry of dust flying that laid all of the blades of grass in the field flat and nearly knocked me off of my feet. The eyepieces that Scimitar and Club were wearing began to beep even more frantically than before with smoke rising out of their interiors. Finally, Amie's eyes opened suddenly and she jerked upwards from my arms where I had been cradling her. All of these events occurred in a rapid string that made it seem like everything was happening all at once, all the events overlapping and building off one another to add to the sense of something being horribly wrong in the air. But things were only about to get much worse

Simultaneously, both scanners exploded in fire and smoke, showering the left side of their wearers' faces in glass and metal fragments, including, most horribly, both of their left eyes. Both the Scyther and the Snorlax screamed, first in surprise and then in agony, as the malfunctioning machines ravaged their visages. The final member of the group could only watch in horror as his allies' doubled over in pain with blood pouring from their wounds. The lean green insectoid Pokémon was uttering a string of curses without any force behind them and the larger mammalian was only moaning in horror as his clumsy paws clutched at the glass-filled wounds on his face. Even in the moment, underneath my own dread, I was working through what this meant. Those devices had not only been designed to sense psychic energy being given off, but were probably specifically calibrated to handle the amount of power given off by a legendary Pokémon like Mew. But even when Amie had been overcome with emptiness and handily defeated the trio, their scanners had not overloaded and been destroyed. All of this pointed to a very unsettling conclusion that this Pokémon calling himself Mewtwo could be far stronger than the psychic who I held in my arms.

"Zeke," she whispered softly. "What's happening?" She shifted away from my grasp but fell back towards me when she could not keep her balance on her own. "There's too much energy in the air right now. It's not right. I can't see."

Words did not come to me. How was I supposed to convey the scene playing out behind her in the crater below? Even as I struggled with words, I saw the Mewtwo approach the battered and broken Pokémon. _Strange_, he broadcast, _I did not even have to launch an attack before two of you fell. I thought that Pokémon with your level of experience would have proved more of a challenge._ With slow, measured strides, the gray and purple brute stepped closer and closer to Blackjack. The Hitmonchan was keeping up his gloved fists in the barest pretense of being ready for a fight, but his face and tired eyes betrayed that he had already been beaten. The Mewtwo reached up one hand and touched the tan Pokémon's forehead, meeting no resistance until contact was made. At the touch of the bulbous digits, Blackjack shuddered involuntarily and his fists rose weakly to try and bat away the Mewtwo's limb, but quickly dropped to his sides. _You're being lied to,_ the psychic said telepathically, somehow managing to convey this thought with all of the interest of someone describing the weather.

"Who are you?" Blackjack spat out through gritted teeth.

_My creators dubbed me "Nemesis",_ the Mewtwo replied, still broadcasting with the same bored tone, _but it is not important._ With that, the strange Pokémon removed his hand from Blackjack's forehead, causing the Fighting-type Pokémon to crumble to the ground in an inglorious heap. _Now which one of you shall I play with first?_

"Amie," I whispered with as much urgency as I could, "are you feeling okay to move?"

"I can push myself a little more," she replied after a worryingly long pause.

The way she said that did not exactly inspire confidence, but our best chance to escape might be when this terrifying Pokémon, Nemesis apparently, decided to "play" with one of the Pokémon he had at his mercy, although I shivered at the thought of what that would entail. "On my mark," I said, "we run, okay?"

Amie nodded her pink head, and I turned my attention back to the drama unfolding below.

Nemesis was now alternating between looking at Scimitar and Club. The former seemed more formidable despite her injuries, while the other Pokémon was sitting on the ground still groaning in pain. It was the latter that the Mewtwo decided to approach. As he stepped closer, the Normal-type shot his head up and opened his mouth in an attempt to launch a stream of flame at his tormentor. No sooner had the first licks of fire emerged from his mouth that the psychic Pokémon held out his hand and, with a gentle flick, pushed the flame back inside of Club, blocking his mouth as the Snorlax began to sweat and scream silently. Exhausted at the counterattack to his last-ditch effort at saving himself, Club fell over on his side, looking vacantly ahead, looking for all intents and purposes to have given up the ghost.

As the Mewtwo loomed over his fallen victim and examined him with the curiosity of a child, I whispered to Amie, "Now."

She levitated out of my arms and surrounded us both with a protective pink sphere just as Nemesis psychically directed Club into the air with one arm and he casually broadcasted, _I wonder what you look like inside-out._ We shot off to the east, and I had to choose between focusing on the pained expression on Amie's face as she propelled us forward less by her telekinetic gifts and more by sheer willpower or on the screams of Club as the latest round of torment proved that there was still some part of him alive after all, or at least for now. Both of these were horrible to be a witness too, but no matter which I tried to pay more attention to both were inescapable. Even after we had gotten as far away as Amie's remaining strength could take us, the miserable sound of a mutilated and burned Snorlax being flayed alive still echoed in my head.


	16. Chapter 16

Driven by the sheer force of her desperation and what little energy she had left, Amie and the pink sphere in which I was contained blazed across the late afternoon sky. While she had apparently spent centuries perfecting her ability to go undetected in the larger world through a combination of both isolation and her masterful transformation techniques, those precautions were hastily abandoned in the face of this new threat, this "Mewtwo". Instead of disguising herself as a Pikachu, or even a different species of Pokémon, as she had done before during our travels, she was flying in her natural form, the body of the legendary Mew. She seemed not to notice all of the figures below us. In fact, our altitude seemed to have less to do with avoiding stares than it did with saving her energy to focus on simply propelling us forward instead of having to squander it on calculating how to dodge and weave through traffic successfully while lugging a capsuled Pikachu behind her.

At first this did not bother me too much because the rational part of my brain was comforted by the relative emptiness of the suburb given the time of day and the shocking news of potential conflict that had come out earlier. As for the irrational part, it was still trying to process what I had just witnessed in the park. But as the scenery below me changed from neatly manicured lawns to streets and then to a major highway enjoying what looked to be the first taste of the frustrated honking and prone chasses of rush hour traffic, my better judgment reasserted itself. "Amie," I said, or rather shouted, from inside the sphere of pink energy that was the only thing keeping me from a deadly drop.

Instead of responding, the weary pink Pokémon only accelerated, pushing herself even harder as she ignored my voice. I tried to get her attention with another yell, but even with the bubble shielding me from the brunt of the air resistance we were pushing through, my words were pushed back down my throat by the sheer force of our velocity. Instead of giving up, I opted to try a different method of communication. Closing my eyes to shut out the dizzying sight of the artificial landscape we were zooming over, I did my best to concentrate on a single thought, a single word: "Amie".

I detected some kind of acknowledgement in my mind. It was an unusual feeling, somewhat like an idea you cannot quite remember or a name that is on the tip of your tongue. I seized upon this sense, somehow duller than it felt like it should be yet still bright enough to stand out as a foreign presence in my mindscape. Interpreting this as a kind of receipt, a sign that my message had been successfully received and that a connection had been established. I was elated and began thinking of a response. I was in the middle of composing a lengthy address when I realized that I was falling.

My eyes shot open and I immediately made the foolish decision of looking down. The traffic might have been virtually motionless, but the prospect of ending up splattered on top of a car instead of under one was hardly a comforting thought. To my embarrassment, a terrified scream erupted from my lips just as Amie's protective pink shell reformed around me, starting from beneath me. Even as my feet hit the bubble and the mental construct shifted under my weight to bring me to a gentler stop instead of abruptly halting my momentum, I noticed that both my savior's altitude and speed had been reduced from having to rescue me.

The truth was that it seemed like Amie was under even more of a strain than before. Her flight was becoming erratic and jerky. But I did not have the luxury of dwelling on this unsettling realization. The ball of energy around me seemed to be a much less vibrant hue of pink than before and appeared to be far less solid of a shape as well, actually giving way a little under the pressure of my mass. These turned out to be signs of graver issues as the psychic sphere began to corrode, holes opening up in its rosy surface and widening at an alarming speed. I had to step away from a tear that started to appear underneath me, no easy task in such a cramped space. "Uh, Amie?" I called to my friend. "I hate to burst your bubble, but..."

Amie spared a glance behind her and her blue eyes, upon witnessing my increasingly frantic efforts to hang onto the rapidly diminishing scraps of psychic energy, widened and took on a sheen of panic in dire contrast to the rest of her ragged countenance. "Zeke!" she uttered just as I lost purchase on the remnants of the pink shield.

I began to fall again, only this time Amie was diving after me. Because I was probably too heavy for her to try and physically catch, the psychic Pokémon instead resorted to projecting rudimentary psychic shapes underneath my plummeting form, simple mats of dull pink energy that I tore through one after another. Each time I ruptured her projections, I saw Amie wince and felt her pain through our weak telepathic link even as she continued her dive and created more. Slowly but surely, her efforts were bearing fruit though. With each sheet of mental power that I fell through, my descent not only stopped accelerating, but actually began to slow. I could see the ground below us, and while it certainly did not look like a picnic landing off the side of the highway, it did look like a survivable fall. That was good because suddenly Amie's eyes closed, our connection broke, and, worst of all, her loss of altitude became far less controlled.

Luckily, my now unconscious companion was not far away and I managed to pull my aching body through the air towards her prone form and wrap myself around her, holding her tightly as we fell and feeling her chest rise and sink with a series of shallow breaths. My own breathing was frantic as I saw the patchily-kept grass below us coming closer and closer. With no small amount of effort, I managed to angle our bodies so that Amie was on top of me, gritting my teeth from a combination of the exertion, the air whipping at our bodies as we fell, and the anticipation of what would happen when we stopped. We did not hit the earth gently, but the pain I felt was a good sign that we had survived. I had landed on my tail awkwardly and rolled over to ease the discomfort emanating from my twisted appendage. The action laid Amie out on the grass and I took the chance to examine her a little closer. My body must have served as a decent enough cushion because it seemed like there was nothing wrong with her physically. No bones were broken and she did not react with either cries or grimaces of pain when I gently massaged her limbs checking for damage.

Despite this, I was still worried about her. Her eyes were clenched tight and her mouth was set in a deep frown. Now worried more about her mental well-being, I gently shook Amie until her eyes fluttered open. She fixed me with her brilliant blue spheres, but the normally heady sight was tainted by the tears that danced at the corners of her eyes. "Zeke," she whispered hoarsely, "I can't feel it anymore. I lost it."

Although I did not know what she was referring to, I still tried my best to comfort her, gingerly placing a paw on her shoulder and reassuring her, "Don't worry, you'll get it back. You'll get it back." I repeated the phrase a few more times and it seemed to help, especially when I hesitantly embraced the psychic Pokémon and she eagerly reciprocated the gesture. The sobs that had threatened to break out from Amie's throat instead turned to mere sniffles. As we held each other, I turned my attention to the still-stalled traffic on the highway. The drivers facing a long bumper-to-bumper commute home were already bored and I was sure that the sight of two Pokémon falling from the sky was bound to attract attention, especially if someone realized that Amie was in and of herself an unusual sight. Even if they did not understand her true nature, the fact that she was not the usual Pidgey or Weedle that served as common sights in the Toho Union meant that she would be an object of curiosity regardless. I spun us around slightly so that I could try and obscure her body from the curious gazes of the onlookers stuck in their cars. "Amie?" I said softly.

"Yes?"

"Can you fly out of here?"

Her brow furrowed briefly and then her eyes lowered. "I can't, Zeke," she whispered. "I lost my powers. I can't fly, I can't shield us, I can hardly even think right now."

That was not the news that I wanted to hear. "You must have used it all up getting away from that Mewtwo creep," I offered even as my mind raced trying to think of solutions.

"It was more than that, just being around him was something…" She paused to come up with the word. "…dark. He was emanating this negative force, and when he touched me something got damaged." Amie looked up at the sky and sighed. "Then pushing myself as hard as I did, I guess it just broke." Then her line of sight dropped again. "I'm sorry, Zeke."

"For what?" I asked with genuine surprise.

"For letting you down."

"Literally," I grumbled a little too loudly, but nonetheless it caused Amie to giggle a little bit. That was a good sign. "You were great. You got yourself out of danger and that's what's important."

"I suppose so," the slight pink Pokémon replied before her body was wracked by a small shudder. "I hate to think what that monster would have done if we hadn't gotten away."

I matched her shiver with my own as the memory of Mewtwo's cold threat and Club's resulting screams echoed in my head. "Yeah, we really dodged a bullet there," I muttered. A quick shake of my head banished those thoughts to the back of my mind and I instead tried to focus on the task at hand. "Can you still transform?"

Amie nodded her head. "Yes, I think it's just my psychic abilities that are cut-off," she said before I witnessed the more familiar but still unusual sight of her body melting into a formless pink mass and then growing and stretching into the shape of a fellow member of my species and finally completing the transformation with the fur and the other distinctive details that made a Pikachu a Pikachu. What made this particular experience strange was the fact that she underwent the entire transmutation process in my arms, letting me feel the change from a furred form to a smooth one and then back to the sensation of feeling fur on the creature I was embracing. The whole episode was over before I could really process what had happened, but I was still surprised by my lack of revulsion at the sensation of another creature losing shape and regaining it while I was touching it. Instead of the disgust or squeamishness I had been expecting, I was only relieved to see that Amie looked okay and that she would be safe from prying eyes, at least the two hours her transformation would last.

The Pikachu I was embracing flashed me a sweet smile upon seeing my own pleased reaction to her successful disguise and said, "Everything in order?"

"Uh, yeah, you look great," I let out in a single breath. Eager to change the subject, I let go of Amie and rose to my feet, wincing as I did so. "Celadon isn't too far away. Are you okay to walk?"

"Yup," she chirped as she sprung to her feet with a spryness that left me embarrassed at my own lack of speed. "Transforming into different Pokémon heals any physical injuries I might have!"

"Does that mean that your psychic powers are back?"

Amie stopped and seemed to be going through some kind of mental checklist, her bright eyes blinking several times as she did so. Then she lowered her head, her previous exuberance diminished. "Guess not," she murmured.

I tried to come up with something encouraging, but the best I could manage was, "I'm sure it'll come back, you just need to rest", which rang just as hollow to my ears as my previous assurances.

Despite the emptiness of my assurance, Amie still seemed heartened by the fact that I was even attempting to make an effort to lift her spirits. "Thanks, Zeke," she said, before taking my paw and pulling me forward towards the already bright lights of Celadon. "Come on, we're losing daylight!"

A small grunt of pain escaped my lips as my sore body was jerked after my more chipper companion. "I'm coming, I'm coming," I said before closing the gap between us. Looking at the glimmering city that lay before us, I began running through my memory banks, trying to remember if I had any contacts or places we could stay in Celadon. It had been a long, long time since I had been in this neck of the woods. Celadon, with all of its glitz and glamor, was not my trainer's favorite place to visit, even before factoring in the crime and corruption that permeated the place. If Saffron could be summed up as an office building, Celadon was a seedy strip mall where anything could be bought for the right price. It was an already fitting analogy even without mentioning the monumental department stores that served as the city's biggest landmarks, even more so than its Pokémon Gym. Still, with that many Rattata running around, there was bound to be a hole for the two of us.

My musings were interrupted when I felt a soft pressure. Looking down I saw that Amie was still holding my yellow paw in her own and was squeezing it softly to get my attention. I met her gaze and smile with my own before she said, "Don't worry so much, everything will be fine. After all, I've got you looking out for me."

I did not say anything, afraid as I was of only making another empty promise that I could not back up. Instead I only returned the friendly squeeze of the paw she had given me as we walked closer and closer to the edge of the city of Celadon.


	17. Chapter 17

As we neared the city limits of Celadon, I could not help but marvel at how far we had traveled. It was hard to think that not too long ago I was content to just live day to day in the woods I once called my home. We had come quite a long way, a feat made all the more impressive because it was just the two of us, Amie and myself, making the trek. No traveling under the watchful and controlling eye of a human or migrating in a group like the travels that flocks of Pidgey, Spearow, and the like undertook with the changing seasons. We had gotten this far largely on our own efforts and that fact provided me with some level of pride that did battle with my trepidation that swelled up at the thought of returning to this gilded city that I despised so much.

Even before we entered Celadon proper, the smell overwhelmed us. Although I had spent most of my life among humans and so was at least somewhat more familiar with the presence of pollution and want than a Pokémon who had never set foot outside of their natural habitat, the stench of decay and desperation was overpowering here, try as some entrepreneuring souls might to cover it up with the sickly sweet odors wafting from their expensive perfumes and colognes. I could not imagine what the cauldron of aromas smelled like to someone unaccustomed with anything like it before, but the way Amie's face curled into a harsh grimace of disgust gave me all the information that I needed. It was true that Saffron had been a city too, but that was like comparing pineapples and cherries and saying that both were fruit. The more industrial Saffron had at least some semblance of city planning, a virtue of its only recent ascension to the preeminent hub of business and commerce in the Kanto region of the Union. Celadon, on the other hand, was a mess, as each succeeding generation had attempted to build off of the legacy of its forbearers, going all the way back to its old status as an imperial capital. Unfortunately, each poorly thought out expansion and development was only more garish and ineffective than the last. A couple of decades ago, after Kanto and Johto were united under one government, it was decided to move the capitol from Celadon to the Indigo Plateau, leaving Celadon to wallow in a pit that it kept trying to escape through flashier and costlier attempts to attract tourists. Not that that had done anything to help the people who actually lived there, not judging from the pernicious odor that still permeated the old cobblestone streets and the people who walked along them. When we had visited this city, my trainer joked that anyone who had the money to leave Celadon did just that.

Unlike Cerulean or even Saffron, I was not sure where to go to find shelter. During my brief time in this dirty city with my trainer, we had only found a decent hotel to hole up in, fought the local gym leader, got the badge, and headed south as soon as we could without ever looking back. Because of this, I did not have the same number of contacts and hideaways in Celadon that I enjoyed elsewhere in the region. It looked like we would have to start from scratch then. Gently tugging Amie after me, worried as I was about keeping her close in this hub of vice and danger, I started to approach some of the Pokémon on the streets.

I did not have much luck.

There were quite a few Pokémon milling around, but after a toothless Clefairy indecipherably babbled what I could only hope was not a foul-mouthed tirade about the government and a Poliwrath situated outside the towering "Mall of Tohjo" complex took my asking directions as an invitation to try and sell me any number of useless trinkets "for my lady friend", I was just about ready to give up on getting any help. The clock was still ticking on how long Amie could stay in the form of a Pikachu, and with time running out, I figured that, if nothing else, we could try camping out in the spacious Celadon city sewers, although I did not relish the thought of pitching that idea to my already weary companion.

Luckily, we were saved from a night in the charming company of Grimer by what seemed to be the single helpful Pokémon in the entire rotten town. She was an Eevee, but more than that. She seemed to somehow float above all of the physical and moral grime of Celadon, her soft brown coat not betraying a single smudge or split end. Despite her pristine appearance, it was clear that she was comfortable on the streets, not just a wealthy family's pampered pet who had somehow gotten out. She avoided the footfalls of humans as if she was dancing and greeted each of the Pokémon she passed by name, giving a small wink or a polite laugh in response to whatever line or joke they tried on her. It was startling to see how all of the urchins who had been so useless when I asked them for just some measly directions were bowled over by the presence of this princess of the pavement. She came up to us, and it was not until she was a yard or so away before I realized that I had been staring.

"You can pick up your jaw now, fella," she said with a gentle but teasing voice.

I cleared my throat. "Can you help us?" I said a little more briskly than I had anticipated. "We need a place to stay for a few days."

The Eevee's tail flicked back and forth, whether consciously or unconsciously I had no idea. "Seems a little presumptuous," she said with an exaggerated sigh. "I mean, we hardly even know each other, do we?"

Groaning internally at the wasting of Amie's valuable time, I said, "I'm Zeke, and this is-"

"Amie, it's nice to meet you," my companion interrupted with her characteristic cheer that made it impossible to get annoyed with her.

"I'm Di," the brown mammalian Pokémon said without ever breaking eye contact with me.

"Charmed," I said.

She ignored the sarcasm in my voice, but instead gave her head an elegant roll and said, "Of course."

"We are actually in a bit of a hurry, so if you're going to help us, could you get on with it?" I asked testily.

"All you had to do was ask," the Eevee said and, with a flourish of her tail, she began leading us south. After reminding Amie to stay close, I closed the gap between myself and Di, watching as the setting sun lit up the side of her face in-between interruptions by the glitzy buildings that blocked out the dying rays of the day. She noticed my trailing closer behind and slowed her pace just enough to let me catch up with her before continuing to lead the way again. "So, what brings you two to our lovely city?" she said with a playful grin.

"Lovely?" I snorted before collecting myself and hesitantly replying, "We're just passing through." I tilted my head back at Amie, who appeared to be more caught up in the sights and sounds of this newest urban experience than the conversation I was having with Di, and said, "She got hurt so we're looking for a place to lay low for her to rest."

"Your sister, right?" Di offered.

"Yeah, something like that."

The dainty Pokémon smirked at that.

"What?" I demanded.

But she just sped up, trotting off a bit ahead and leaving me feeling a strange mixture of frustrated and intrigued. I shook my head when Amie came up next to me. "Are we almost there?" she asked.

"I don't know," was all I could respond with, and it was true. I had no idea where this stranger was taking us, I had just placed my trust in the cleanest, friendliest, and most coherent Pokémon around. That she had immediately gotten under my skin even seemed to point towards her being trustworthy, after all what kind of con artist would actively try to make people dislike her? Still, Amie only had so much time available to stay as a Pikachu, and so I was about to speak up when Di came to a stop with an artistic twirl on her nimble paws.

"Here we are!" she announced proudly, although for the life of me I could not understand why she was so pleased with herself. The building behind her was a burned out husk of a structure. It was possible to tell that the facade had once boasted a similar garish and tacky paint job as some of the other businesses in Celadon's slums; the shoe store and pawn shop offering instant money for gold flanking the ruined building proving to be the exceptions to the rule more than anything. The charred walls hardly seemed to offer any shelter, with warped and missing materials leaving the entire one-story building fairly open to the elements. The only good thing to say about the walls and ceiling was that somehow they were strong enough to support a giant letter "R" whose neon lighting had long since ran out. An old rusted chain-link fence provided a half-hearted perimeter around the destination Di had led us to, but it was missing so many sections that it seemed to serve more as a gentle reminder than any kind of real deterrent. That this lackluster barrier still seemed to provide more coverage than the building itself was hardly a redeeming quality of the space.

"It's, well, different!" Amie offered helpfully.

"Don't take everything you see at face value," Di said cryptically before lifting up a loose flap of fence with her teeth. "Come on," she instructed through a mouthful of cheap metal. Dutifully Amie and I went through, and then I let the Eevee come in after us and she miraculously avoiding getting her luxurious fur dirty. She led us into the interior of the building which was only slightly less unimpressive than the exterior. What was left of a slick linoleum floor was dotted by rusted slot machines, moth-eaten roulette tables, and a thick layer of trash. Just about everything of value it seemed had been uprooted and hauled off, leaving only the worst of the worst behind. I gave a skeptical look at Amie, but followed our erstwhile guide to the corner of the open floor. She gestured at a pile of trash and said, "Dig."

"What?" I asked. "Why don't you do it?"

Di exaggeratedly rolled her large brown eyes. "Just do it. Some of us actually care about our grooming."

I thought about arguing but I remembered Amie's ticking clock, so instead I settled for muttering some colorful curses under my breath as I dug through the mound of old papers, bottles, and cans. At first it seemed like a wholly futile exercise, but eventually things stopped giving way and the sea of garbage split to reveal a trapdoor covering a steep staircase leading into the ground. "That's your big reveal?" I asked sardonically. "A basement?"

"Oh hush," Di responded with no small amount of good humor. "This place is one of the best-kept secrets of Celadon. No one is going to find you here if you don't want to be found."

"Wow, thank you!" Amie cheered.

Di just smiled. "My pleasure, you just focus on resting up. I'll be back in the morning to see how you two are doing."

Before she could leave, I followed her to the edge of the ruined casino, leaving Amie to poke around at the edges of the secret hole in the carpet of trash. "Wait," I said, "is there anything we should know about this place before we fall asleep here."

"Well, it's supposed to be haunted."

"What? I was talking about stuff like asbestos."

Di just gave a high laugh. "Oh relax, it's just a rumor." She was about to continue on her way, but paused and said, "Besides, it's probably nothing that a big, strong guy like you can't handle," before giving me a wink and disappearing back into the now-electrically illuminated streets of Celadon without seeming to ever touch the mess of refuse under her paws.

"Well, she seemed nice," Amie said, breaking me out of my thought process.

"Yeah, real nice," I grunted to myself. Then, louder, I said, "Come on let's get downstairs so you can change back to normal."


	18. Chapter 18

The first night we spent sleeping in the ruined casino's basement was not a pleasant one. On the whole, the basement seemed to be largely undamaged despite having the ground floor and above burned to crisp. The unpleasantness first stemmed from the fact that, having been on the run, first from Amie's trio of pursuers and then from the mysterious Pokémon that eclipsed them in strength, we had not thought to bring along any food. Amie suggested that I could go out and scavenge for something, but I gently dissuaded her by reminding her how unfamiliar I was with the layout of Celadon and that it would do us no good to have me taken to a pound all for the risk of a loaf of bread. While those were both two very good reasons for me not to go traipsing about this gilded cesspool, there was an ulterior motive as well: with Amie rendered frail and cut off from her psychic powers from our desperate escape, I did not want to leave her alone in this strange and dangerous city for even a minute unless it was absolutely necessary. As far as I saw it, a night spent hungry was not worth the risk of my not being there if my companion's condition took a turn for the worse.

Going to sleep on an empty stomach was not a prospect either of us relished, especially since our bed was going to be the two of us huddled together for warmth in a makeshift nest we had managed to assemble by tearing off a number cushions from flimsy office chairs, me with my bare paws and Amie by transforming into a Scyther that bore an uncomfortable resemblance to Scimitar. We were both getting a little testy, so when Amie offered up a terse suggestion that I attempt to check out the rest of the basement to see if there were any food stores down here, I capitalized on the opportunity to avoid getting on her nerves and vice versa for a little bit. I headed back down the hallway to the area from which we had swiped the chairs from. There did not seem to be anything in that conference room so I kept looking. A faint odor caught my nose and I followed the scent to what appeared to be a breakroom. Inside was a refrigerator, but as I drew closer it became apparent that whatever food had been stored had long gone rotten.

I was on the verge of abandoning my quest, but did not look forward to returning to Amie empty-handed, so I decided to keep poking around this empty basement until I either found something interesting or could be certain that the Pokémon in the other room was out like a light. So I continued to look around, examining the hallway for the next place to search. After a couple of false leads, I decided to follow the system of air vents running along the ceiling and thus found myself stumbling around a dark janitor's closet. Before I went in it was necessary to open the door and let the tiny space air out so I would not pass out from the overwhelming build-up of fumes and odors from spilt cleaning products. Even so, despite my precautions, I was still a little heady from the atmosphere in the closet. Still, the possibility of getting a little high off of drain cleaner seemed like a better option than having a fight with a companion that I cared about.

So I inspected everything in that tiny area from top to bottom. At this point it was more about killing time until I could be sure that Amie was asleep than actually doing any serious investigating. It got to the point when I had even started knocking rhythmically on each of the walls of the closet in a mockery of the few detective stories I had read during my stay in the hospital. I realized that this sham inspection was starting to become a little ridiculous and decided to bite the bullet and head back to the nest of chair cushions after tapping on the final wall of the cramped nook. Of course as I rapped on the closet's back wall instead of the sound of paw on plaster that had followed each of my previous knocks, this time I received the clanging echo of metal.

"Jackpot," I whispered under my breath, more because I had found a reason to stay up a little longer and because it sounded cool than due to my discovery having any real importance. With a bit of focus I sent a small surge of electricity coursing through my body, calling upon the reserves that my body built up naturally over time. Once I had a good current going, I started letting it dissipate in small sparks again that lit up the room in small strobe-like flashes, a tactic identical to what I did under the mountains between Pewter and Cerulean to light up the tunnels. There were no Zubat in this janitor's closet thankfully, but the light revealed a level of filth and disrepair that I would not have regretted being kept in the dark about. Using the blinking light of my electricity, I began to examine the metallic wall of the closet with more rigor.

The wall was partially covered by a rack filled with tools and cleaning supplies, but while that might be enough to deter any curious human but was no obstacle for a much smaller and nimbler creature like a Pikachu. I wriggled onto one of the lower shelves and began feeling the wall with my paws more carefully. The surface seemed to be bulging out obscenely in the center, like it had swelled up like a bubble, knocking some of the contents of the shelves to the floor as a result. But metal did not act like that, not as fair as I knew. Curious I focused the flow of energy contained inside of me to my hands and then, using a trick my trainer had taught me, I placed them on the metal and sent it flowing outwards through the steel wall. The room went dark, but while one of my senses was being deprived of any input, my ears twitched in excitement as a series of small pops were heard on the farthest corner of the wall from where I was. Excited I lit myself up again with my internal charge and found a small keypad illuminated and smoking from its hiding place underneath a poster reminding employees to always wash their hands.

Delighted by my find, I quickly tore away the paper concealing the small box that was evidently hooked up with this wall somehow. I got no farther than pressing one button when a harsh siren began blaring. Panicked, I retreated back into the hallway which was now brightly lit by the fluorescent lighting flashing an angry red in time with the siren's harsh rhythmic blares. This was the end, I was sure of it. Any second now humans would come rushing in and both Amie and I would be captured by whatever mysterious organization would deem it prudent to set up some kind of bunker complete with stereotypical intruder alerts underneath a casino. Instead of one distressing scenario however, I received a different one.

Amie came through the hallway towards me, but instead of my initial fear that her eyes would be glowing a bright, angry pink color as intense as when she had pummeled Blackjack, Scimitar, and Club into submission and tossed them off of a cliff, she just looked utterly beaten down and exhausted. She looked at me with a weariness that I suspected only an immortal being could muster and started to say something that I could not make out entirely through the continuing scream of the sirens. With a heavy sigh she approached me and took my paw in hers and began leading me back to the reception area where we had decided to settle in for the night. The sirens were going crazy in there too, and I grimaced in anticipation of the chewing out that I was going to get.

Instead of yelling, screaming, or even just smacking me on the head and calling me an idiot, the sluggish pink-furred Pokémon led me into the nest of office chair cushions and showed me to the entrance of a roughshod fort that she had constructed out of them. Once I was inside, she followed me and sealed the opening behind her. In spite of my apprehension about the fight that I was sure would follow, I could not help but be impressed with the construct her work had put together. Being surrounded by cushions not only managed to dampen the sound of the wailing alarms but also created a spot of darkness, albeit imperfectly shielded from the flashing crimson lights that were tied into the same system I had set off. I started to say something in apology, but Amie quieted me before I could even utter a single word.

"When I had just fallen asleep and was just starting to dream of a nice peaceful place where we could be away from all of this madness," she said in a measured tone that made me shut up and listen, "I was ripped from my slumber by one of the singular most frightening arrays of light and sound that I could imagine. Do you know what my first thought was?"

Again, I began to speak, to offer an apology, but she ignored my attempt and talked over me instead.

"My first thought was of you, Zeke. Wondering what might have happened to you. Wondering if you were safe." Amie saw that I was still dying to say something, so she let that be her conclusion.

"I'm sorry that I woke you up," I said, doing my best not to let too much guilt sneak into my voice. "I found something weird while I was-"

Before I could launch into my dramatic retelling of my adventures in a closet full of mops and brooms, my legendary companion gave me a thin strained smile and gripped my paw tightly. "Zeke, I know that whatever you did to set those lights and sounds off you did because you were trying to help me, and I thank you for that. But can we save the story-time for tomorrow?"

I nodded silently and she let me go. As we both settled down to sleep in this strange location in an already strange city, something felt off. I could not figure out what was missing until I heard Mew's quiet, gentle snoring and realized that she was not sleeping against me. Instead we were about as far away from each other as we could be and still be inside of the nest of cushions. While I tried to tell myself that this was probably because she did not need the additional body heat sleeping indoors in a mound of pillows, it still felt like a not-so subtle rebuke and it took a long time for me to fall asleep without her by my side.

The next morning, I awoke first. I thought about waking Amie up to discuss our next moves, but, on my end at least, the tension between us did not seem to have subsided even after a good night's sleep. The best thing I could do, I figured, would be to find some way of making it up to her, whether that be with food or with some other thing that would brighten her mood. It did not seem like I had a lot of options, however. If I tried to explore the basement further, I might set off the alarms again. Apparently while we were sleeping the sirens had turned themselves off, but the visual component of the security system was still going strong. Going back to the double trouble that we had endured last night did not seem worth the small chance of finding food that had not gone bad down here. At the same time, I was loath to go top-side and scavenge out there. Not only was I not even sure where to start looking, but I also did not know the neighborhood and could not go very far without getting lost.

Still, I felt like I had to do something, if not for any realistic productive cause, then at least to work off some of my restless energy. I decided to climb up the stairs to the outside world and get some fresh air. And if someone managed to through a bagel or something over the fence and I found it among the trash, well, Amie did not have to know exactly where I found her breakfast, did she?

Resolved, I gingerly pushed the concealed trap door ajar and peeked out to check for any sign of any other Pokémon. Sure enough, there was a set of dainty brown-furred feet at eye level. Before I could lower myself back down into the basement, I heard a muffled but familiar voice say, "You really think you're being sneaky there, Zeke?"

I flung open the cellar door all the way and found myself looking at Di, the Eevee who had led Amie and I to this dump, with her impossibly well-kept fur and a small basket clenched in her teeth. "Morning," I said tentatively.

The Normal-type Pokémon spat out her cargo and responded, "Good morning!" with a lot more enthusiasm than I had been able to scrape together. "What's wrong?" she asked, her usual sly demeanor slipping ever so slightly.

"Nothing," I said. Before she could inquire further, I seized on the opportunity to change the subject. "What's with the basket? You planning a picnic?"

"Not quite," said Di with a small grin. "Just being neighborly. See, I figured that you and your…sister, could use some breakfast."

My stomach growled in response to that last word and she laughed, a clear sound like a bell being rung. I laughed some as well, but only enough to be polite. Every chuckle was delaying my access to food. Sensing my hunger, she popped open the latches on the side of the basket with her small teeth and took out a folded up newspaper before letting me have my pick of the fruits and pastries contained within.

The two of us sat down to eat and inevitably that turned to talking.


	19. Chapter 19

"So," Di said as her eyes lazily scanned the newspaper that she had unfolded in front of herself, "how are you liking your new digs?"

"Oh it's been great, Di. Aside from the horrible sirens that went off last night, it's downright peachy, feels like I'm staying in a hotel," I snipped at her as I tore into a bagel.

The Eevee looked up from the arts and entertainment section and stuck out her tongue at me. "Ooh, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed today, huh?"

"Maybe if we had a bed instead of a kind of nest out of office chairs," I shot back as I rummaged through her basket for some cream cheese.

"How's your lady friend liking it?" the brown-furred Pokémon asked as she idly flipped to the next page in the newspaper.

I chewed silently for a moment and then said, "It doesn't exactly have us on the best of terms right now." Then I reached for another bagel. "And besides, she's not my lady friend," I mumbled through another mouthful of breakfast.

"Right," Di responded with just the barest hint of a smirk, "good to know."

We did not talk for a long time as I focused on filling my stomach with the different foods I had been supplied with and the Eevee focused on filling out the daily crossword with a pen she held clutched in-between her teeth. She broke the silence first, saying, "Just what are you going to be up to today?"

"Well, I guess we're going to just hang out and check out the city," I said. "If she's feeling up for it, that is."

The Eevee gave me an inscrutable look. "Either way, I can show you around."

"Yeah, what's the grand tour like?" I asked, arching one eyebrow. "You going to show me all the tourist traps and health hazards in this cesspool."

"Oh come off it, Zeke," she said, "this place isn't all bad! I have a couple of ideas of things you might find fun."

"Oh yeah, like what?"

"How about stealing things from humans?" Di offered with a wink.

Now that got my attention. "Stealing things? Why Di, I'm surprised at you!" I said cautiously, but unable to hide my interest in the idea. "Don't you know that's wrong?"

The Eevee gave me a big, wide grin and twitched her little nose, affecting an accent and saying, "Why I have no idea what you are talking about! I'm just a simple country Pokémon who is concerned with the injustices perpetuated by those sinister humans! Fighting back is only right!"

We both attempted to keep straight faces, but after just a few seconds it was too much and both of us were just doubled over with laughter at our respective impressions. "Ha, that's good," I said, wiping a tear from my eye. "No, seriously, what on Earth are you talking about?"

"Oh don't play so coy," she said once her own laughter had ceased. "Two strangers roll into a city looking for a place to stay does not scream wild Pokémon. Especially when the two Pokémon in question are Pikachu walking around upright. You don't seem like the type to be surviving on roots and berries. No offense, of course," she said, with another wink with the last sentence.

"None taken," I said good-humoredly. "Is there even anything good to steal around this dump anyways?"

"Are you kidding me?" the Eevee asked incredulously. "This place is a giant testament to shopping and grandiose displays of wealth! There is more to steal here than you could possibly imagine!"

"I don't know, I can imagine quite a lot!"

"Well, please allow me to show you the treasures of this fair city," the Normal-type Pokémon said, her voice remaining calm, but her bushy white-tipped tail swishing excitedly behind her.

"Sounds good," I said, only to remember the Pokémon sleeping downstairs. "Wait, I can't leave Amie alone here."

Di's previous good humor evaporated and she started to pout, saying, "What? You can't leave your little girlfriend alone for a few hours?" She rolled her eyes and muttered, "Controlling guys are no one's idea of a turn-on."

I glared at her latest insinuation, and said, "She's very sick."

"All the more reason why you should be swiping a few things, like food or, you know, medicine," Di said with a frustrated sigh. "Besides, do you really want to stick around cooped up down there for a whole day and get on her nerves even more?"

My resolve was starting to weaken and I admitted, "Maybe a few hours of me being out of her hair would do some good."

"Exactly, you're having some fun _and_ doing the best thing for her. Everyone wins!"

Finally satisfied with this course of action, I closed up the basket containing the remaining breakfast food and picked it up. "Can I take this down to my friend?"

She sighed impatiently, but said, "Yeah, go for it."

Picking up the assembled breakfast goodies, I uncovered the staircase and descended to underneath the burned down casino. Down there, I found Amie still lying in the middle of pillow fort, with one pulled over her eyes to block out the still-flashing red lights of the basement's security system. For a second, I thought again about waking her up, but then the memories of the night before flooded back. I was not really looking forward to a rehash of our awkwardness again, and given how much worse her hunger would have gotten and how fitfully she had slept, it was likely to be an even uglier thing the second time around. Maybe if she had food when I woke her up she would not be upset and we would not fight. But maybe that was a risk I was not willing to take. So I instead set down the basket of food by the unconscious pink Pokémon.

I watched her sleep for a few seconds. Her face was furrowed a little bit and did not seem to be too restful. With a sigh, I left her with the food and started making my way up the stairs. Then halfway up to the surface, I realized something. As I emerged into the sunlight I made a beeline to Di and pulled the paper out from under her paws. "Hey!" she screamed in surprise. After a second, I pulled the pen out from her mouth as well.

Ignoring the protests of the Eevee, I folded the newspaper over and found a relatively large white space and set it on the ground before I started writing down instructions for her to eat food and not leave the casino. Then I remembered that she could not read. Scribbling out that note, I searched for a different, slightly smaller patch of white space and then I proceeded to scratch out a crude comic depicting a stick figure Mew waking up, then seeing a pile of food, then eating it, and then staying in the same place for the next three panels, only being joined in the last one by a smiling approximation of a Pikachu carrying food. I gave my artwork a onceover, and honestly, while it was decipherable, it was nothing to be writing home about.

After I finished channeling my inner art critic, I noticed Di was looking over my shoulder and staring at my drawings with a wide, sardonic smile plastered on her face. "Doing a little drawing for your girlfriend?"

"She's not my girlfriend," I grunted as I swiped up the newsprint and sprinted back downstairs with it in hand. I set the paper on top of the basket of breakfast foods and, after a second, I pushed the food so that it was right in front of Amie's face so that it would the first thing she saw when she woke up. Satisfied with this course of action, I gave her one last look and then clambered up the staircase, pushed aside the last remnants of trash covering the hidden entrance, and gave Di the best thumbs up I could manage with my yellow paws. "Let's do this," I said.

She did not have to be told twice. Practically shaking with anticipation, the Eevee took to her feet, and started skipping over to the less formidable section of fence that she had shown us the day before. She went through first under the chain links that I parted for her, but she was so jittery when it was her turn to clear my path that I got poked a couple of times by the rusted metal knots that closed each link. "Watch it," I growled, but my gruff demeanor evaporated as soon as I passed the flimsy barrier and saw how downright eager Di was at the prospect of pulling a small-scale heist with me. I think that was when I realized just how big of a weakness I had for excited girls, although while Amie's eyes had always shone with a kind of innocent anticipation of experiencing the unknown there was something lurking in the almond brown eyes of the antsy Normal-type Pokémon I was looking at right now. In that moment, Di reminded me of an addict ready and willing to fall off the wagon, knowing just what that entailed and not giving a damn anyways.

I wondered if she saw the same look in my eyes, because, I will be honest, there was something liberating about even just thinking about throwing off all of the burdens of worrying and responsibility and engaging in something just for the fun of it. Constantly being on the run from a strange squad of Pokémon, finding out that the country was on the brink of a civil war, and hearing a Snorlax get turned inside out by a Pokémon that had crippled a goddess just by touching her; there was a lot of stress in my life, that much was certain. So why not take a load off and engage in some mild hijinks and theft? Besides, judging from our limited interactions last night, Amie probably would enjoy some time away from me, and if I came back more relaxed, well, then everyone would be better off, right?

"Hello, Earth to Zeke?" the Eevee asked me, her smile turning slightly more gently mocking than excited now as she snapped me out of my internal thought process. "Are we still doing this thing or are you going to stay here and make me do all of the hard work?"

I shook my head, clearing my head and sending my black-tipped ears flying in time with each movement. "No, I'm fine," I said, some of my old cockiness returning to me, "lead the way."

Her smile became more mischievous again and she said, "Good, it takes two to tango after all." Then Di set off with her graceful dance-like way of walking down the filthy street, side-stepping puddles and leaping over homeless humans and making the whole endeavor seem like an effortless afterthought, conducted with the same level of thought and care that goes into breathing. Hers was a rhythmic, controlled pace, but to a beat that only my guide seemed to be able to hear. As a result, trying to keep up with her as we navigated the animate and inanimate debris of Celadon was a greater workout than it should have been.

The whole process was even more disorienting because of my lack of knowledge of the layout of the city. There were no familiar landmarks that I could use to orient myself, and even my powerful but oft-neglected sense of smell was crippled by the overpowering stench of way too many Pokémon and humans being packed into an overcrowded city, making navigation by distinct scents all but impossible. Yet through all of the grime and grit, Di never seemed to let it get to her, either physically or mentally.

It was after about thirty minutes' worth of walking and jumping over vagrants that I finally grew frustrated enough to ask, "Where are we going, Di?"

The Eevee spun on her arched paws in a perfect pirouette and had a giddy grin painted on her furry face. "I am ever so glad you asked, Zeke!" she said and then led me around the next corner to reveal a huge, glittering monolith of glass and steel that seemed to be almost radioactive from all of the neon signage crowding its façade, advertising for all manner of products, services, and lifestyles.

"The Mall of Tohjo?" I asked her. "Shouldn't a small fry like you start with something smaller? Like a lost and found department?"

She shook her tail in a bizarrely accurate recreation of a human's tut-tutting gesture. "Now, now, never underestimate a lady's wiles. I've robbed these places countless times. You can either get in on the action or you can sit it out and _maybe_ if I'm feeling generous I'll bring something back for you." She started nudging me with her side. "Huh, does widdle Zekey want a Poké Doll?" she taunted.

"Knock it off," I said as I pushed her away. "How do you normally do this, just smash and grab?"

She laughed at that, an honest laugh this time and not a mocking one. "Oh, you simple country bumpkin. Just pay attention." Then Di broke off a small twig from a nearby bush and started drawing in the dirt, laying out her whole plan in the shadow of the only building remaining between us and the mall.


	20. Chapter 20

The plan that Di laid out on the patch of dirt with the stick she held in her mouth was nothing too special. To be honest, I thought that the whole effort was more about her showing off the fact that she could draw the layout of the mall's interior from memory and still make it look better than the crude comic I had created for Amie. After she showed me which stores she would be attempting to steal from and what she expected to nab, I tentatively asked what my role in this little escapade would be. The Eevee just smiled a mischievous smile and said simply, "You're going to be the distraction."

That was how I found myself standing under the skylight in the high-ceilinged courtyard of the mall's second floor, an area just about equidistant from all of the businesses that Di was planning on hitting, holding a small beanbag in my hand and feeling like an idiot. That feeling was only going to get more pronounced. The space was filled with various human and Pokémon carrying out different acts and schemes, all with hats or guitar cases open in front of them to hold the tossed coins and few bills thrown in by the curious audience that such a wide and varied spectacle attracted. I took up a spot in-between a Mr. Mime whose entire body was painted silver and was acting like he was a robot and a male human in a fedora with an Abra running a three-card Monty scam, ruing the situation I had found myself in under my breath.

Di had given me a location and a goal, but how to achieve it was left up to me. After wracking my brain for something I could do to compete with these hardened street performers I had found a small piece of paper next to a trash can and crumpled it up into a small roughly spherical shape. I then took my place among the other performers and tossed it up into the air and caught it a few times experimentally, becoming familiar with the weight and aerodynamics of my make-shift orb and awakening my dormant reserves of electricity. Finally, deciding that I could not put it off any longer and a little grateful that my trainer was not alive to see this humiliating display, I started to catch the small rolled up piece of refuse on every part of my body but my hands and launching it back into the air from the same spot while at the same time I started releasing bursts of energy to my muscles and nerves to bolster my reactions and speed. At first my routine was limited to just my knees and elbows, but as I grew more confident and comfortable, I started landing the paper ball in more daring places, first my head and the crook of my feet, and eventually on my tail as well.

Once my one-Pokémon game of catch had slipped out of the mundane, I had caught a few eyes. By the time I moved onto walking on my hands while juggling the paper ball using my feet and tail a small crowd was forming around me, much to the displeasure of the performers around me. It was not a huge group of humans that were starting to congregate by any means, but it seemed to be growing, a result of human curiosity at just what was causing so many children to laugh and so many adults to stop their shopping to observe. I felt my intricate balancing act start to falter as new ideas of what I could do to up the ante began to ebb, not to mention the electricity that was fueling the more high-octane acrobatics. Unfortunately, Di had not given me any kind of indication for when my distraction was supposed to end. It had to be concluded anyways though when a pair of uniformed humans started to push their way through the crowd.

The two men were both wearing non-descript white uniforms with clip-on badges and ties that seemed to struggle to contain their respective beer bellies and twin looks of resignation at their lot in life. "Move aside, move aside," they said in unison without any trace of enthusiasm whatsoever, "mall security, mall security coming through." The crowd parted reluctantly to let the interlopers step into the epicenter as I halted my clowning to try and portray some level of decorum and respect even while I was wondering if the low quality of security guard evident here was a result of the call up of all able-bodied young men by the Kanto military.

"You got a permit to beg for money here, Pikachu?" the first guard said, his bushy black moustache vibrating with each syllable.

I shrugged, spread my paws wide, and offered what I hoped was a disarming smile.

The other mall cop hiked up his pants by tugging on the buckle of his belt and said, with no shortage of self-importance, "Alrighty then, where's your trainer, little guy?"

My paw extended to point vaguely to some point behind both of my interrogators' heads. When they both turned around to try and figure out which of the many humans surrounding our little scene I was gesturing to, I scooped up as many bills as I could with my paws and stuffed them in my mouth, clutching the paper tightly but carefully between my teeth, and then took off like a shot in the opposite direction.

A series of shouts rose up, some from the people I was pushing past, including one from the human with the Abra when I knocked over their table and sent a flurry of hidden playing cards spilling to the ground. But the loudest of these interjections came from the Mall of Tohjo's security guards as their befuddlement turned to anger at having been deceived. Thus, a chase began and one attempt at causing a distraction turned into another altogether.

I sprinted for the escalator, ducking and weaving through the legs of humans on my trek and trying to concentrate my hearing on the heavy footsteps behind me as the furious humans ran after me, shouting, "Stop that, Pikachu!" to anyone who could hear them. They would have had more luck trying to catch lightning in a bottle. I was almost a force of nature as I made my way through the crowd, attracting more and more attention as I wormed my way to the escalator going down to the ground floor. A number of people were already standing on the moving staircase and did not seem inclined to move in order to make things easier for either a runaway Pokémon or his pursuers, but that actually worked to my advantage. Instead of trying to barrel through the legs of the escalator's occupants, I opted for leaping onto one of the handrails.

For a human it would have been practically impossible to balance on the narrow path provided by the downward sloping railing, much less travel down it at any reasonable pace. But a lower center of gravity, four legs instead of two, less weight, and a tail to help balance made an obstacle like that no such thing to a Pikachu like me. I leapt onto the black handrail and sprinted down it, the tips of each of my paws launching off almost an instant after they had touched down. There was another series of surprised exclamations, but the jerking of hands off of my path as I approached just cleared the way for me. I hopped to the ground at the bottom of the escalator and spared a glance upwards to see how my pursuers were handling the throng of people between us and to also flash the best cocky grin I could muster with a mouthful of paper money. Sure enough, the security guards were attempting to shove their way through the indignant shoppers. The one in the back was holding up a bulky black rectangle up to his ear and talking, his moustache moving up and down as he spoke. I turned around and saw four more humans dressed in identical uniforms jogging towards me down the hallways to my left and right. One member of each pair was holding a similar device up to their ears and nodding.

I cursed myself for not thinking about walkie-talkies, but that much could be forgiven since I was planning the whole thing off the top of my head. Spinning around, I decided to double-back in a way, squeezing between the twin escalators and making my way to the fluorescent-lit section of the mall underneath the courtyard where this chase had begun. I thought that would buy me some time, but no sooner had I removed myself from the other side of the narrow space then I heard the clapping sound of many cheap dress shoes on tiled floor drawing closer. So I was running again, making my way down a long hallway flanked by store after store, with no sign of Di in sight. Just when I started to wonder if this was all some kind of elaborate prank on her part, another duo of guards rounded the corner of a jewelry store at the end of the hallway and began rushing towards me.

It looked as if I was cornered, but that did not mean that I was going to be captured. On the contrary, I thought to myself as I began charging up my red cheeks with electricity, feeling them warm and start to glow as sparks danced across my face and my fur started to bristle with energy and anticipation. The eight humans closed in on me, forming a rough perimeter and all placing their hands on the red and white Poké Balls clipped to their belts. "No sudden movements, let's do this nice and easy," one of the guards said.

My body swelled as I reached the amount of electricity that I needed for my purposes and I released it with one long cry that sounded a lot less impressive with a wad of cash stuffed in my mouth. The humans still recognized what that meant and ducked in fear of the anticipated blast, but it never came, not towards them at least. Instead I had directed all of my power upwards, aiming for the lighting fixtures the glowed from the ceiling above my harassers and I. It was not a hard target since I could sense the thrum of power coursing through the dull lights as easily as I could feel a breeze or smell an appetizing piece of food. As I had hoped, the surge of new energy that I had added to the mix caused the light to short out along with every other light in the hallway as I successfully blew a fuse in the shopping complex's electrical system.

There was still a trickle of illumination coming from the skylight above the courtyard on the second floor, but with a hallway blocking much of this sole remaining light source the security team was confounded by the sudden increase in dimness and I took the chance to stealthily squeeze my way past the cluster of stumbling legs and head to the hallway by the jewelry store where the latest additions to my little posse had emerged from. I was just dashing past the darkened storefront and the noises of confusion from inside when Di emerged from the opening, holding a bag about the size of her head, minus her long ears of course, the handles of which were clenched gently in her teeth.

"Not bad, Zeke, not bad," she mumbled and then started to trot off down the hallway as if she did not have a care in the world.

I went with her, but kept my ears constantly alert and swiveling around to see what was going on with the humans I had left in the dark. It did not seem like they were having a very easy job getting their act together, but the beams of flashlights that I caught shining down the hallway when I turned my head to look back convinced me that it would be better to hightail it out of here sooner rather than later. I spat the paper money I had been holding in my mouth into my hand and slipped the damp collection into the shopping bag that my partner-in-crime had and then asked, "So, do you have an escape route in mind?"

The Eevee gave me the best smirk she could manage while still holding onto her ill-gotten gains and struggled to say, "Of course." Then, Di led me down the rest of the hallway to a door marked "Emergency Exit". With a flick of her head, she requested that I open it and I complied, having to get a running start to my jump in order to put enough force behind my body to push the heavy exit open. No alarm was sounded during our escape, a side-effect of the damage I did to the grid, I supposed, and we both slipped around the heavy door before it closed. I was careful to make sure my tail was not caught in it this time.

We had emerged into a large parking lot and, once I was upright and took the sack of treasures from Di, the Eevee let out a happy sigh. "That went very well, don't you think?" she said with a wide, happy smile.

"Yeah, I really liked the part where your idea for a distraction failed miserably."

"Did it fail, or did I just not tell you the real plan?" she responded, her eyes glittering mischievously.

I digested that as we continued walking away from the mall. "You planned all of that?"

"Well, not to the letter. But I knew that any performance you could come up with would likely be interrupted by newly-hired security guards looking to make a name for themselves, that you would travel downstairs hoping to get closer to an exit, and that with your senses and electric abilities it would only be natural that you would try something with the lights."

That she had thought all of that out impressed me quite a bit, although I was still a little peeved at her not letting me in on this part of this secret master plan. "What if I had gotten caught?"

"Then I would have gotten away scot-free and you wouldn't be the Pokémon that I thought you were."

I mulled that over for a little bit before a new question occurred to me. "What were you doing in a jewelry store anyways?"

She just smiled and turned away, picking up her pace a bit, leaving me to follow after her wagging bushy tail.


	21. Chapter 21

The next couple of days went by in a blur. I spent the daylight hours learning the lay of the land in Celadon, mostly the best places to steal from, but also some of the other sights as well. At night, I examined the door hidden in the closet of the casino's basement for ways to bypass it until I could be certain that Amie was asleep and then going to bed farther and farther away from her each night. Ever since we had gotten to the city, it seemed like we were growing more distant. A few times I had tried to invite her along with Di and I on an excursion into the city, but to no avail.

Amie had grown obsessed with regaining her strength, and thus her psychic powers. When she was not sleeping or eating meals scraped together from the food that Di and I had liberated from shops and restaurants across Celadon, the pink-furred Pokémon was meditating. When I asked her what she was doing, Amie gave me a half-hearted explanation about how limiting her mental exertion might give her abilities the chance to recover and a greater awareness would help her pinpoint what exactly had gone wrong when she had encountered Nemesis and how that could be avoided in the future. That all sounded rather abstract to my black-tipped ears, but when I attempted to ask a follow-up question I was told in no uncertain terms that I should not be interfering with her concentration. Dejected, told Di that it would just be the two of us for the foreseeable future, to her not entirely concealed amusement.

One day, almost a week after first arriving in Celadon, I was sitting in a park with Di eating our ill-gotten gains from a small sandwich shop when I realized, to my horror, that the city did not smell like it did when I had first arrived. My partner-in-crime laughed brightly when I told her this. "See? This place isn't too bad!"

I assured her that the place still reeked, just not as badly, but I could not keep the smile off of my face. In-between bites of the submarine sandwiches we had laid out on the grass we both were flipping through the pages of the _Rainbow Sentinel_, the newspaper that Di had always managed to scrounge up before she came to pick me up from the casino. Even if the coverage was a little sensationalist, the writing was not bad and I relished the chance to find out what was going on in the human world, especially with the country on the verge of civil war. This day she was leafing through the arts and leisure section without too much interest and I had my paws on the actual news. While there was more than enough local scandal and upheaval to be exciting, my main focus was on any updates on the tensions between the Kanto and Johto regions of the Union. I had not entirely given up on my plan to whisk Amie away to the western part of the country, but that seemed less and less likely with every day that passed. Today, for example, the paper was reporting some minor naval skirmish in the South Johto Sea and speculating that the Kantonese government might attempt a blockade of Olivine in retaliation, which would totally cut off the possibility of traveling to the region's biggest port.

We continued to read quietly, but this silence was broken when I reached the pages consisting of letters written to the editor. It was usually an interesting way to gauge how public opinion about the tensions with Johto seemed to be trending, but this time there was something else that caught my eye. At the end of the section, the newspaper usually printed one comedic entry, either something written that way intentionally or the accidentally hilarious ramblings of a crackpot. Today's selection was of the latter variety, or at least it was supposed to be. Someone rambling about a sighting of a mythical Pokémon and demanding that the government stop covering up the truth would have struck me as ridiculous a month or two ago. Now I felt nauseous.

"Hey," I called over to Di, drawing the Eevee's attention away from a review of some concert that had performed the night before, "do you know anything about this?"

She walked over and quickly read the letter that I was gesturing to with my paw. When she finished, the brown-furred Pokémon shrugged and said, "Yeah, some people say that they saw a legendary Pokémon flying along the highway between here and Saffron a couple of days ago. Probably just a bunch of kooks."

Before she could go back to her own reading material, I stopped her. "Which legendary Pokémon did they say that it was?"

Di's brown eyes looked at me over curiously. "One of the weaker, unimportant ones. What does it matter?"

"Which one?"

"Mew, I think. Why do you care?"

I did not respond to her question, just grimaced as I read over the erratically worded letter once again.

From out of the corner of my eye, I could almost see the gears turning behind her big brown eyes. My insistence on getting an answer from her combined with my response to the one she eventually provided gave her enough material to work with. Her vocal deductions came haltingly, "You mean- You know-", but eventually she got it out. "You know Mew? How?"

My first instinct was to backpedal as quickly as I could and come up with a convincing lie, but I did not do that. Instead I simply sunk my head and answered, "Yeah, I know her."

"Her? She's that other Pikachu you hang out with?"

"Uh, yeah. That's her."

"Wow," Di said, the _Rainbow Sentinel_ forgotten, "so what does that make you? Part of her harem or something?"

At least that lightened my mood and I scoffed, "It's nothing like that! I'm kind of her-" A couple of different words ran through my head: protector, guide, friend. I settled on one finally. "-companion."

"And what exactly does that entail?"

So I told Di all about how I had met Amie and the challenges we had faced. We sat on the grass in the park for nearly half-an-hour as I regaled the strangely quiet Eevee with our story, describing the encounters with Blackjack and the other Pokémon pursuing Amie, and how the strange monster we had fled who claimed to be another Mew and was even stronger. I was still not entirely sure if Di was in any position to help, or even if she was a hundred percent trustworthy, but shut out by Amie and beleaguered with all of the traveling undertaken over the last weeks, I think that I would have been grateful for someone, anyone to listen to me. Plus, while my talks with Amie had been enjoyable for the most part, there was no way I could talk candidly with her about some things. Namely her. Even after I had finally reached the end of my tale, I kept talking, blowing smoke about how frayed my relationship with Amie had become since our encounter with Nemesis.

Di held her questions until I had completely exhausted myself and had to stop talking in order to catch my breath. The first one she asked was, "What on Earth are you doing, Zeke? Fighting Hitmonchan and Snorlax… That's no job for a Pikachu."

"I'm still here, aren't I?" I joked feebly, but Di was not convinced.

"And how much can you possibly be helping this Mew, anyways? She's supposed to be a _goddess_! Can't she just kill those goons chasing her and be done with it?"

I frowned. "Amie can only fight at full power by turning part of herself off. If she went that far, she might not be the same, sweet Pokémon afterwards."

Di laughed ruefully. "That's rich. How many Pokémon have gotten hurt because she hasn't been willing to do what needs to be done? How many have died?" When I was silent, the brown-furred Pokémon shook her head in disgust. "So that's why she keeps you around, huh? To tell her that she's not a bad Pokémon."

"It's not like that," I growled, growing more frustrated not so much with my interrogation, but with my inability to explain what losing Amie would really mean. How I would be losing the first reason I had for living since I lost my trainer. "I have to protect her!"

"Why does it have to be you?" the Eevee snapped, getting in my face with her own. "What makes you so valuable to her?"

"Because I'm-" I started, but the shorter Pokémon was not done yet.

"Why can't you stay here? With me?"

Those last questions threw me off completely, and in my surprised state I suddenly felt something warm pressing against my own furred face, another mouth on my own, the way humans do it. My initial shock melted away and I found myself returning the kiss, wrapping a paw around Di's head and pulling her closer before a more rational part of my brain reasserted itself and I ended the embrace, scrambling backwards from the dismayed Eevee who had initiated it. Neither of us spoke for a few moments, both us catching our breaths and trying to figure out just what could be said.

Finally, she turned away from me and started folding up the pages of newspaper that we had spread out on the grass earlier. "Come on," she said, declining to look at me, "let me walk you back." I wordlessly helped with the cleanup and once all of our refuse was collected and thrown away, we left the park and started towards the place where Amie and I were staying.

As we walked down the streets of Celadon, something seemed off. It was not just the noticeably reduced number of young adult male humans strolling down the boulevards or manning the shops, nor was it the result of my continuing confusion that the city did not smell quite so much after a few days spent living there. We were on the second-to-last block and I was still trying to figure out what was different when Di spoke again, "I'm sorry about that."

"For?"

"For trying to kiss you. It was totally uncalled for," she continued, keeping her brown eyes firmly on the sidewalk as we walked our carefully measured steps. "It's just that we've been spending so much time together. I must have misread the signals." She paused and gave me a brief, inscrutable look. "You could still stay, you know. I won't try and force myself on you or anything."

"Thanks, but I couldn't do that to her," was my response and we walked for a little longer, turning the corner and seeing the burned-out husk of the once-garish casino come into view.

"You'd rather be miserable with her than be happy with me," the Eevee muttered quietly, but bitterly. I was not sure if I was supposed to have heard her, so I did not say anything. A little louder she said, "I think I know why you really follow her around." I did not want to start anything, so I kept quiet even as she lifted the section of chain-link fence and ushered me through to the other side.

Once I had made it through and we were separated by the pathetically thin barrier, I finally asked, "Will I see you tomorrow?"

A small smile lit up her face, just for a few seconds, as she answered coyly, "Maybe. I'm a busy girl. I'll see if I can pencil you in." With that, she turned to walk away, but despite that mask of friendliness I could see that her long, elegant tail was drooping, dragging along the concrete as she ambled away miserably, any trace of music in her steps extinguished.

That night, after completing my ritual of examining the door, I lay awake on a pile made out of my half of the cushions, thinking. I had been doing a lot of that since coming back from the park. As always, Amie had been sincerely grateful for what I had been able to scrounge together, but we were building up a pretty sizable store of food so it just did not seem as exciting to her as it had at first. After she had finished eating, the psychic Pokémon went back to meditating, leaving me with my thoughts. Those same thoughts received even more attention during my sustained staring contest with the metal door hidden in the closet. Then finally there was the thinking as I laid awake in my make-shift bed, replaying the events of the past few days and trying to figure out just where I stood with regards to Amie and Di.

I chuckled quietly so as not to wake Amie when I realized that I needed a fourth Pokémon to vent to just like I had vented to Di about Amie. Then something clicked in my head. Vents. I got up as quickly as I could without disturbing my roommate and headed down the basement's darkened hallway, eager to put this new plan into action and distract myself from my thoughts, even if only for a little while.


	22. Chapter 22

As soon as I entered the hallway, illuminated by the glow my charging and discharging body was giving off, I saw just what I was looking for. The system of air vents that snaked across the basement ceiling included one branch that traveled beyond the closet full of cleaning supplies where the strange distorted steel door was concealed. It looked like I had found a way around the heavy barrier and all of its alarms. Now all I had to do was find a way into the vents. As I followed the line of thin metal tubes, squinting in the lowlight, I found one of the spots where air would be coming out of. After a nervous glance back at the area where Amie was sleeping and mulling it over for a few seconds, I decided that it would be easier to ask for her forgiveness than her permission if I woke her up, and spun my tail in a short quick arc, sending a stream of yellow stars towards this weakest part of the duct. I had not put too much effort into the attack, but the hollowness of the vents meant that even the smallest sound, in this case the sound of the metal bars of the opening being broken and flung around the inside of the metal passageway, was sent echoing all over the basement.

I stood deathly still for two minutes, my fur bristling in anticipation of Amie coming down the hallway to chew me out for making such a racket. Fortunately, she did no such thing, although whether that was due to her still being asleep or because she had simply given up on trying to talk to me was unclear. I fervently prayed that it was the former. Either way, I now had my way into whatever lay behind the secret door. It was time to use it.

First, I walked around the small section of the hallway, noting dimensions and planning trajectories in a process that was at least two-thirds instinctual and the rest being the result of my training for Pokémon battles. After I was satisfied with my angle of attack, I took off with a running start, flinging myself at the plaster wall and using that momentum to ricochet myself off of the chipped surface and towards the opening I had made. It took some frantic scrambling, but I got a hold on the inside of the vent and pulled myself into the darkness. The space was fairly cramped, far too small for any human larger than a young child. I started to crawl forward, my eagerness to move through this manmade tunnel balanced by my desire to not make too much noise flailing around inside of the metal space. Given the conductivity of the shaft, I was reluctant to light myself up for fear of setting off another set of alarms, so I instead inched forward through the blackness, sneezing a few times as I disturbed dust that had been settled for who knew how long. When I reached a fork in the tubes, I turned left, the same side of the hallway where the closet had been.

After about ten more minutes of crawling, I found an opening underneath me that I figured would be a good enough place to leave through. I still had to make my own exit, and, unfortunately, there was not nearly enough space for me to get a good Swift attack going. So I roughly pulled myself up into an uncomfortable sitting position and then started kicking at the bars of the slatted opening. My efforts were just starting to bear fruit in bending and weakening the obstacles when I took in a deep breath to prepare for a final assault. The air that filled my nose and mouth was thick and rancid, far from the stale air I had encountered in the shafts when I had first entered them. Something was rotting, long-dead, down there and, to make things worse, the smell was mixed with an undercurrent of Pokémon waste. This powerful new odor made me throw up on the floor below me, sending up a sour mixture of what I had eaten for dinner that fell to the floor below me with a sickening plopping sound, followed by my spit as I tried to clear out my mouth. Just when I was getting close to getting the awful taste out of my mouth, the bars I had been kicking gave out from underneath me, sending me falling nearly ten feet into the room below.

Fortunately, my natural sense of balance kicked in while I was falling and I managed to land on my feet. That stability lasted for all of one second before I fell over on the slippery, puke-covered tile floor. I swore incredibly loudly and I picked myself back up and attempted to shake off my disgusting fur as best I could. While that succeeded in getting the worst of it off of me, I was still sure that I would need five good baths before I would ever feel anywhere near clean again. Baths that were especially hard to come by as a wild Pokémon in a big city. I swore again. After I had exhausted my repertoire of curse words, I reckoned that it would be best to try and make the best of the situation and see just what was being guarded by a hidden, password-protected steel door.

When I lit up my soiled fur with energy, my throat contracted and I dry-heaved, causing my empty stomach screamed in protest. The room was full of dead humans, five of them. All of them were laying limp against the walls with their stomachs bloated obscenely and their necks and limbs twisted in horrifyingly unnatural angles. The worst part was that the parts of them that were not concealed with white lab coats or black uniforms were rotting, eroding slowly but surely away from sunken cheeks and deflated eyes that leaked from their sockets. A few of them had long-congealed lines of blood running from their noses to their gray lips. I wondered if Di knew about any of this, but decided not to dwell on it for now. It would be better to check this place out as quickly as possible and sort things out later.

So, with that in mind, I set about looking for clues, a task made all the more difficult by my determination to have my back to these dead humans for as short a time as possible. It might sound irrational, but I really did not relish the thought of turning around and finding a body had moved while I was not looking. As my eyes roamed the area, I came to the conclusion that whatever had killed these people had done some serious damage to the whole room as well. There were two banks of heavy computers with their screens shattered and a series of rubber tubes that had ruptured and burst, staining the white tile floor with blue liquid that had long since dried. The walls themselves seemed twisted as if I was intoxicated, but even when I shook my head to clear my vision, the bulges and distortions on the steel were evident, similar to the oddness of the door I had found in the closet. It lay behind me, with only a single limp corpse propped up against it like an unused marionette. From this side, I could see just how much the metal had been strained by being forced outward like that, and I could also see the one piece of damage that looked relatively mundane instead of downright bizarre.

With the rest of the room looking like it had been hit by some combination of bomb and tornado, the fireman's axe lodged in the computer panel of the heavy door connecting this room with the outside world stood out like a sore thumb. Someone had driven the weapon, blood-stained on its wooden grip where it must have been held, deep into the keypad, ruining it entirely. But I was confused why they would do that. Given that something seemed to have gone horribly wrong inside the area, it did not make sense to me that someone would go through the effort of locking everyone in. I reluctantly noted this curiosity for later and resumed my examination. It was just another mystery that I could think through while I was far, far away from this nightmarish scene.

There was a hallway beyond the rows of computer monitors and, loath as I was to leave the dead humans alone without someone to keep an eye on them to prevent them from getting up to anything, my curiosity and my desire to get away from the rotting bodies won out, and I began down the short, narrow passageway. While the floor contained more blue stains in a trail leading off into the dark, my glowing yellow fur showed that the walls were charred, blemished with scorch marks and dried soot. Whatever combination of fire and force that had caused all of this damage had long petered out, but there was still an ominous feeling in the air, or maybe I was just on edge from all of the bodies. The trail of dried liquid turned down one side of the split in the hallway and I followed it. Inside the dim room, I found one large glass tube that was shattered, reduced to shards protruding from the ceiling and the floor without connecting, and the whole room was practically painted with the same blue stain. A series of wires hung impotently from the ceiling above the broken cylinder and a series of shorted-out computers appeared to have also been connected to it at one point. The whole space was empty now, aside from another dead scientist. I was almost about to leave right then and there, but something caught my eye.

In the dead man's grip was a book that seemed to have once been soaked through by the same blue liquid which appeared to have come from inside of the cylinder, but had dried out long ago. The cover had a faint blue tint to it and the edges of the pages were ruined, but as I flipped through its pages, each marked by dates and enough of which seemed to be decipherable for the find to be of some interest. There was no way I was going to stick around and read it with a corpse as company, so I tucked the diary under my arm and made my way back to the area where I had dropped down from. The scent of Pokémon waste was emanating more strongly from the other corridor that the hallway branched off into, but, given the fact that I could feel my fur growing crusty from the drying puke, I did not really have that much to lose if I risked adding another odor to my growing collection. So I crept down the hallway, blocking my nose with my free paw as I approached a high doorway.

It was closed, but not secured, so I cautiously pressed it open. I had to fight against the weight of the door, but once I it opened a crack, the flood of warm air into the colder room flung the door open with a sharp crack as it hit the wall. Inside of the room was a column of a dozen or so tanks, not broken like the ones elsewhere in the lab, but instead full of blue liquid and every one of them housing a dead Pokémon, a dead Meowth to be more specific, that hung lifelessly in its glass coffin. Nervous, I crept closer and could see that the line of cylinders I saw was only one of three or four filling out the room like something out of a science-fiction novel. I also noticed that, floating on the surface of each of the cylinders, there was an accumulation of biological waste, the source, I presumed, of the foulness in the air. The whole sight was eerie enough, but, adding to the strangeness, I noticed that each of the expired Meowth that I looked at had an area around their temple where there was no fur and was marked with a surgical scar, reminiscent of those I had seen sometimes during my stay in the human hospital, and identical from body to body. When I leaned in closer to try and examine one of the emaciated bodies, its eyes opened and I screamed. That noise seemed to be a kind of catalyst as each of the submerged Meowth came to, bubbles streaming from their mouths as they all tried to mewl pathetically at once and their eyes blinked uncoordinatedly.

That burst of weirdness was the final straw for me. My investigation had netted me merely a notebook and some nightmares, and I had a hunch that any poking around any further would only cause more of the latter, so I hightailed it out of that room as quickly as my legs could carry me without dropping my prize. I was breathing hard when I reached the room filled with the human corpses, and I did not calm down much since the fear that these bodies might come to life did not seem quite as farfetched now. So it was only with much swearing and many glances over my shoulder at the slack-jawed dead that I opened up a folding table that had been smashed against the wall and set it up underneath the vent. First, I tossed the notebook up there and then I hurled my body through the opening as well, letting the charge in my fur dissipate as soon as I was securely in the air vents again. Picking up the notebook, I crawled through to the other side, jumping at every imagined sound and wondering what to make of the carnival of horrors I was leaving behind me.


	23. Chapter 23

The night I had spent tossing and turning on my pile of cushions, afraid to close my eyes long enough to get to sleep. Eventually the exhaustion won out over the fear and I drifted off to an unsteady dream state filled with dead humans and mewling Meowth. When I awoke, drenched in a cold sweat, Amie was already up and deep in her daily meditation routine. Without any physical acknowledgement of my presence, she said simply, "You're up."

"Yeah," I muttered, scratching the back of my head only to groan in disgust when I felt the hardened residue of last night's adventure.

"You smell bad," the pink Pokémon added without so much as opening her eyes.

Peeling myself off of my sleeping area, I took a whiff of the cushions only to recoil in revulsion. It seemed like they were all ruined as well. "You bet I do," I said as I began stacking the soiled pillows off to one side. "Any chance you could lend a hand?"

With a heavy sigh that I suspected might have been just a bit exaggerated, Amie lifted herself out of her pose and opened her blue eyes to fix me with a weary, but curious look as she asked, "What can I do?"

Following my instructions, the legendary Pokémon transformed herself into the inscrutable form of a Staryu while I dragged the dirty cushions out of the casino's basement and onto the floor of the burned-out building's husk. We retreated to the meeting room where most of the chairs had been and she began to spray me with water, letting me wash my fur and scrub furiously to try and get any of the stink out. In a different lifetime I would have had some soap to work with, but I had to make do with a simple wash and dry now. A part of me had hoped that there might be some opportunity for the shower to turn into a more playful interaction, but Amie remained wordless during her whole time as a Water-type and it was clear that neither of us were really in the mood for anything mirthful, me because of what I had seen the night before and she because, as she told me once she had changed back into being Mew and I was drying off, she thought that she was close to some kind of breakthrough that would cause her to get her powers back.

As she resumed her silent regime of concentration and tranquility, I retrieved the notebook that I had come across during my explorations and went top-side to read it and dry off. I was careful to make sure that my paws at least were not too damp as I cracked open my find and began to read it.

It was an interesting read, written in a diary format of dates and entries. The story started long after I had returned to living in the wild, so the dates attached to each entry did not mean anything to me, but I thought that a Pokémon living more closely among humans and with a healthy access to their news media like Di might be able to help me place these notes on a kind of timeline. Because what I was discovering with each turn of the page definitely felt like it definitely needed to be understood in a larger context.

The author of the journal was apparently a scientist involved with something called the "Kingmaker Initiative". Since the notes had not been written for other people they were painfully vague on what exactly that meant, and any explanations were written in the form of reminders littered with acronyms that I had to struggle to understand. The gist of it seemed to be that some group of scientists were apparently looking for ways to harness the powers of legendary Pokémon, though for what purpose I could not fathom. Whoever the dead man was that I picked the journal off of, he appeared to be the lead researcher on one of the three groups that seemed to make up the overall project. Each of them was labeled accordingly, with the mysterious author briefly laying out what the "Scepter" mission group was hoping to accomplish, what the "Castle" section had attempted and failed to achieve, and why his own group, "Crown", was going to succeed where the others had failed.

The next few pages after that were long-winded and technical. Even with my experience reading medical files and textbooks, I had difficulty making out exactly what was going on. From what I could glean, however, it seemed like the "Crown" approach to the problem of how to harness incredibly powerful and God-like Pokémon was to try creating them from scratch, perfectly controlling their physical and emotional development through the right application of genetics and environmental inputs.

I was not able to set the notebook down even after my fur had dried and soon enough I found myself eating breakfast with the tightly written notes spread out before me. Amie had still been in her trance-like state when I had delved into the basement to retrieve some food. If she had any curiosity about what I was up to, she did not show it, and that was enough to tamp down any lingering desire to tell her about the fascinating piece of literature I was perusing. If she did not care enough to ask, then I did not care enough to tell her, I thought darkly before I returned to my reading.

The next section of neatly written handwriting thankfully moved away from the technical theories and processes of creating a perfect Pokémon and moved into more mundane notes, dutifully reporting the results of experiments, private musings on the directives that were being handed down by whatever person or group had organized this whole "Kingmaker" thing, and surprisingly brief notations of the birthdays of the author's spouse and children with no accompanying information. It was a fairly boring slog by someone who clearly had never understand the finer points of writing an entertaining story, but considering that I had lifted the book from its deceased creator, I was already invested enough to keep reading through to the end.

Things picked up suddenly when two big events seemed to come up one after another. The first was that the Crown section had managed to actually produce its first prototype, a Meowth cloned from material provided by the project's chief funder. My eyes nearly bugged out of my head at the words "Meowth" and "clone", but before I could go back to double-check what I had just read, my gaze fell upon a much shakier written entry that read simply, "Castle failed. Everyone involved killed. Have to work harder."

That was about all that I could take for the time being and I slammed the notebook shut and flung it away from me, shivering even out in the warmth of the late summer sun. This notebook was sickening, not only because it kept bringing me back to the cavalcade of sights and smells that I had encountered the night before, but because it was not content to just let me remember, but rather drove to me to pry, to investigate. As much as my stomach turned at the thought, there was a not insignificant part of me that wanted to go back in that sealed-off room and dig around for more answers. It was that same part that drove me back to the notebook less than an hour after I had thrown it at one of the few remaining slot machines on the abandoned casino's floor.

That curious side of me was in full control now and I tore through the second half of the diary. Only days after the first successful creation of an artificial Pokémon and the killing of the staff of another part of the Kingmaker Initiative, work stepped up on creating more cloned Meowth and then turning their attention to creating a functioning clone of a legendary Pokémon. The Pokémon that they chose was Mew, and that must have meant that the end result of all of the work I saw in the basement, all of this scientist's hard work was Nemesis, the strange monster that had crippled Mew. That was why he had called himself "Mewtwo". My stomach turned in rapid succession as each of these revelations hit me, one after another, but I forced myself to keep reading.

Nemesis's development seemed to be going according to plan, according to the notes in the journal, but there came another request for another crop of Meowth that left the author confused. That confusion only got worse as the entries continued, with the caliber of the handwriting beginning to erode, slowly at first, but then rapidly descending into huge childish scrawl, chockful of misspellings and soon the longer words were scratched out and left unfinished to be replaced by a shorter, less complex vocabulary. That was alarming enough, but the actual content of these distorted entries was even more disturbing.

The short, crisp scientific notes continued briefly, but instead of describing the growth and development of the clones, they coldly related stories about the declining mental state of the scientists involved in the project. First an epidemic of depressions seized the laboratory, and that was soon followed by irrational displays of passion, stories of scientists copulating and fighting in the hallways of the secret section of the casino, only being separated with great difficulty, were noted down carefully and dispassionately. As if that was not bad enough, a wave of suicides soon followed, and around the same time the minutes began getting sloppier and sloppy. They stopped being the emotionless relaying of information of a scientist and began to take on a long, rambling character. The focus of the records became personal diatribes against the author's coworkers, his higher-ups, and, increasingly, the strange and deadly creature growing in a birthing tube that he had brought into the world.

"It is watching me", one entry began, and from there lapsed into a barely coherent rant about how awful, how singularly _wrong_ this creation was. He stopped going home entirely, and his wife left him, but these developments were only brought up briefly in the middle of listless babbles as the author was going insane. After the childish handwriting failed, those entries were replaced with drawings, and while they were also produced with the inartistic skill of a youth who has not yet developed fine motor control, they still were powerful, visions of swirling black and red scribbles that surrounded a field of skulls, a tall menacing figure, or some other horrible juvenile nightmares, not so much drawn on the paper as carved into it, so roughly that in some places the paper had been roughly torn.

A kind of dread interest settled over me and I flipped back through the diary to try and pinpoint the exact point where the quality of the writing began to suffer. The only event occurring around the same time that I found the two most markedly different entries was a tour of the facility by whatever person had set up and bankrolled this whole operation. Could an inspection by the author's boss been enough additional pressure to drive a chief scientist to madness? I did not think so, but no other explanations were forthcoming. As the notebook neared its final, mad conclusion most of the venomous language was being directed towards one point, Nemesis. Was he behind the driving of an entire research team mad? Was that the cause of the carnage I had unwittingly stepped into?

There were so many questions that my head was reeling when I stood up. My body was sore from sitting in one position for so long, but my mind was going a mile a minute. Despite all of the gears that were turning though, no answers were forthcoming. I could only reach one conclusion, and that was that it was probably for the best not to tell Amie what I had found out. If I had been worried about her being able to read any of the notes I would have thrown it away or tried to burn it, but luckily the goddess was illiterate. She still needed to rest and finish regaining her strength, I rationalized. A shock like finding out that she was used as the basis for creating the monster that had broken her psychic powers probably would hinder the recovery process and only make her worry. It could wait. It had to wait.

I gingerly picked up the water-stained notebook like it was something dirty and brought it back downstairs, depositing in some side room where it could be dealt with later. Then I returned to our main sleeping quarter and took a seat next to Amie. I did not disturb her, but instead tried to mimic her sitting positon and then closed my eyes, trying to let some semblance of calmness wash over me and let myself slowly work through what I had read. At one point, I thought that I could feel a set of eyes upon me, but when I took a peek at her, my meditating companion appeared not to have moved, but I thought that I could see just the faintest hint of a smile.


	24. Chapter 24

That night as I lay staring up at the ceiling and trying to focus on the hope that my relationship with Amie, my life's single bright spot it seemed, was finally starting to mend instead of thinking about the dozens of darker thoughts and theories given free rein by the contents of the journal, I thought that I heard a noise. My ears were up before I was and swiveled in all directions like a radar dish angling for the source of the disturbance. For a tense minute, there was nothing but the sound of my heart pounding and Amie's much more relaxed breathing. I was about to brush it off as just a figment of my overactive imagination, but then I heard the sound again, louder this time. That settled it for me, and very carefully I pulled myself up and off of the pile of cushions, wary of waking up the sleeping Pokémon lying beside me. Thankfully, she slumbered like the dead and I was able to extract myself from our shared sleeping area.

Just as I had dreaded, the noise was not coming from the other side of the hidden entrance to the basement, but from deeper in its darkened depths. Try as I might, the images of what I had found came flooding back and before I stepped into the hallway and lit up my fur with charged energy, I promised myself that I would not think twice about grabbing Amie and running if any of the dead humans in the hidden section were missing or moving. Some things were simply nonnegotiable.

I soundlessly crept into the narrow passage, my whole body tense and alert as I checked and double-checked each of the office spaces that I passed. They were all empty save for the discarded office furniture and supplies. I even inspected the closet that contained the heavy metal door, making sure that nothing had been disturbed or moved, but the imposing steel obstacle was still standing firm, which meant that I had to stick with my previous mode of entry. The vent was still just as accessible as it had been the night I had first stumbled into the lab. The motions came easier this time, the difference between testing a theory and knowing that it had already been proved. Thus, it was less dramatic than the first time I had bounced off of the walls to make my way into the metal shaft, but I still got where I meant to go, although I was once again left scrambling to try and secure a hold on the smooth metal surface of the air conditioning vent's interior.

Once my paws had a steady purchase, I pulled myself all of the way in and started to crawl forward. I had not managed to go very far when I heard a voice echoing from further down the shaft. "Did you hear that?" the voice hissed softly but sharply.

"Just keep moving," came the baritone response.

Steadily I moved forward, pulling myself laboriously across the thin passageway's interior, pausing frequently to try and catch more of the voices I was hearing. Most of what I heard was frequent swearing about the darkness or the smell, followed shortly thereafter by harsh shushing noises from the complainer's companion. There was something familiar about how they sounded, but I did not give myself the time to think about it too much, choosing instead to focus on making progress towards the hidden rooms full of dead humans and dead-eyed Pokémon where these intruders were stumbling around.

Slowly, ever so slowly, I made progress through the passage, working hard not to bump anything against the metal, even if it meant my pace was proceeding at a literal crawl. I was sure that I was being incredibly sneaky and that I would be able to listen in on these two interlopers, figure out if they were trouble, and then report back to Amie without them ever knowing that we had been here. It was a good plan, I still stand by that, there was only one hitch to the otherwise perfect scheme: I had forgotten that my fur was still glowing.

While I may have forgotten about the negligible amount of electricity that my body was charging up and then dissipating, that did not change the fact that the process was still making my body give off a pale yellow glow, like a particularly dim-witted lantern. Of course, this would have all been fine and dandy if I had been the one to notice my absentminded mistake, but instead I was alerted to the problem when one of the voices said, no longer whispering, "Why is the ceiling glowing?"

While I may have forgotten about the negligible amount of electricity that my body was charging up and then dissipating, that did not change the fact that the process was still making my body give off a pale yellow glow, like a particularly dim-witted lantern. Of course, this would have all been fine and dandy if I had not almost reached the vent I had broken through during my last expedition or if I had been the first to notice my absentminded mistake, but instead I was alerted to the problem when the deeper of the two voices said, no longer bothering to whisper, "Why is the ceiling glowing?"

I scrambled to try and stop doing my impression of a lamp, but the damage was done. Some kind of edged weapon moving incredibly fast sliced through the metal section of duct in front of me like a hot knife through butter. Now lacking the needed support, the lacerated tunnel groaned under my weight and began to dip slowly downwards towards the danger below. Even as I tried to scramble up the smooth and increasingly steep incline, the pitch blackness was lit up by a crackling aura of sparks and bursts of electricity, and this time it was not because of me. The eerie blue glow of the crackling energy illuminated not only the heavy red-gloved fist that it was surrounding, but also the bruised and beaten tan face of its wielder and the visage of his scaly green companion, marred as it was by the bloody cloth that had hastily been affixed over the left side of her face. My blood ran cold even as my desperate climb away from them grew even more frantic.

"You!" Scimitar hissed as soon as she saw me and leapt at my precarious perch with a snarl and a flash of her wicked-looking sickles. At the sight of the glinting metal, I did the only thing that I could do to ensure my own survival: I stopped trying to fight gravity and just let it drag me down the makeshift slide of the shaft, barely avoiding the deadly assault as I dropped to the tiled floor.

I had picked myself up and was staring down what looked to be another attack from the one-eyed Scyther when the third Pokémon in the room yelled, "Scimitar, stop!"

With her one good eye, the annoyed Pokémon flashed Blackjack a contemptuous look. "What?" she spat. "You'd rather have him make you look like an idiot again?"

Instead of rising to the insult, the shaky Hitmonchan merely gestured with his glowing hand at the room around us, casting soft light on the assortment of dead humans that sprinkled the room. I had seen it all before of course, but there was still something new and frightening about seeing the looks of stunned shock and horror on these two imposing figures' faces that I could not fail to notice, even as I was subconsciously counting the bodies to make sure that none of them were missing. Scimitar kept her deadly limbs at the ready, but her harsh face was considerably less angry, and her head kept swiveling around to take in the carnage spread out before her like a macabre piece of performance art.

The bladed creature attempted several times to speak, but each time the weight of what she was seeing seemed to hit her again and the thoughts could not be completed. I thought that I might be able to start making my escape then, but no sooner had I started inching away that Blackjack addressed me.

"What happened here?" the lean Pokémon asked, allowing only the slightest tremble to enter his voice.

"What did you do?" his ally all but screamed at me, grateful, it seemed, for a target to take her confusion and outrage out on.

I threw my paws up in what I hoped was a soothing gesture and quickly said, "I swear it was like this when I got here, honest!" The explanation, while certainly true, probably was not very convincing given my trembling and the sweat gathering on my furred brow, both symptoms of being threatened by a Pokémon easily twice my size and covered in enough cutlery to make a Kalosian chef cry.

Undeterred, the Scyther continued to approach me, dragging her long sickle-like arm blades along the floor menacingly and producing painful scraping sounds as she did so. Her one good eye refused to leave mine and she growled, "I don't believe him! What if our-"

"Where is the Mew, little Pikachu?" Blackjack interrupted, cutting off Scimitar's own thought so quickly and effortlessly that I could have sworn that it was accidental.

Still, I was grateful for the chance to disengage, even slightly. "The Mew?" I said slowly, trying to let each word linger in my mouth for as long as possible so that I could buy time to think of a way out of this. "She was too weak after we ran away from that freak show and collapsed on the side of the highway. I had to leave her behind." While I was letting my mouth run its course, I was trying to put two parallel plans into motion.

My mind was screaming desperately for Amie. If she had somehow regained her psychic powers, hopefully my mental projection would get picked up by her and she could get the drop on these two. Of course, that was a big if, but given the situation I was in, it did not seem like I had much of a choice. If I was going to have to fight my way out of here, survival would be almost entirely reliant on my psychic companion's arrival.

At the same time, I let my fur light up as much as I thought I could get away with without it looking suspicious, and building up more and more electricity inside of me as soon as the nerves were active and ready again. Every volt that I could spare was being added to an internal reservoir of power in anticipation for one big, showy burst.

Masterful as these schemes might have been for having been come up with on the fly, time was short and getting shorter. Scimitar took another step closer to me and muttered, "He's lying. I can smell it."

"Are you trying to wink at me, or just blinking?" I asked with an air of false innocence.

An unexpected smile spread across the Scyther's taut green face. "I'm going to enjoy hearing you scream."

Blackjack also came closer and put his non-electrified glove on one of the few places on Scimitar's back that was not covered by a canopy of edged weapons. "We need to figure out what happened to this base first. There will be time enough to deal with the Pikachu later."

The bladed Pokémon turned on him so quickly that her wings left shallow cuts across Blackjack's chest. "Deal with him later?" she barked. "He has been helping the Mew ever since we met him! You should have just killed him instead of having us burn a whole goddamn forest down! Then we would have the Mew, and Club would still be alive!"

"Enough!" the Hitmonchan tried to yell over her, but Scimitar's speech had only ended because she had said her piece. The duo glared at each other with a surprising amount of hatred, and I thought that this might prove to be a chance for me to negotiate my way out, but then Blackjack's shoulders sagged and he sighed heavily. "Fine, kill the Pikachu. Do whatever you want. I don't care."

That was all the invitation that the Scyther needed to ready her blades once more and prepare to cut me limb for limb. Her remaining eye met mine, the pupil dilated because of the dim lighting, and she blinked once.

I wish that I could say that I had some kind of snappy one-liner prepared, but I was running on fumes, so the best my unattended mouth could come up with was a kind of garbled mash-up of "Surprise!" and "Gotcha!" that was even more unintelligible than it sounds. The important thing was that I chose that moment to dissipate all of the energy I had been secreting away through the medium of my fur, producing a giant flare of light that I could tell lit up the whole room even with my eyes clenched shut.

When I opened them, both of the larger Pokémon were trying to soothe their damaged eyes, with Blackjack having much more success because his limbs were functional appendages as well as deadly weapons. "Gone in a flash," I whispered to myself, only to shake my head. That sounded only slightly less stupid than the other ideas I had had. Confident that I would have time to think of something better later, I started to duck and weave around the flailing bodies of my two blinded foes to try and get a vantage point to jump back up into the now-cleared section of duct.

Before I could make that leap, however, a powerful pink glow emanated from around the edges of the thick door of the basement laboratory and the alarms began to ring again, filling the room with flashing red lights and the sound of blaring klaxons. Stunned, I watched the heavy piece of metal slowly begin to crumple like a mere piece of paper and then it flew inwards, hitting Blackjack with enough force to knock the dazed fighter backwards into the wall of damaged computers.

In the no longer obstructed doorway hovered Amie, her eyes glowing with a harsh pink light. "Knock knock," she said in a flat, no-nonsense voice.


	25. Chapter 25

Blinded as she was, Scimitar's other senses were still keen enough that she was able to leap at this new arrival, her scythes swinging desperately in front of her. Before one of the blades could lop off Amie's head, the floating Pokémon dropped to the ground and dissolved into a puddle of pink goo, far more rapidly than I had ever seen her do so before. The frenetic flurry of swipes continued unabated even as the Scyther blinked rapidly to try and clear up her vision and figure out why her blows were not finding any target. The salvo was halted with a sharp metal clang as Scimitar's blades were blocked by the heavy red armored arms of the figure that had emerged from the amorphous pool of flesh.

Amie had transformed herself into a sleek new form that rivaled Scimitar in height and ferocity. Aside from the difference in color, the chief distinction between the two dangerous-looking Pokémon was that the transformed Mew was covered in bright crimson armor that shone as if freshly polished and her arms were topped by heavy pincers that closed with sets of interlocking teeth instead of ending in curved sickles. Even though blocked, the other Pokémon's attacks had left shallow scratches the armor, a testament to the blades keenness and the power of their wielder.

"So," Scimitar said in a low voice, "you want to dance. Fine, I'll tear you apart and relish every moment of your pain."

The strain of crossing weapons with her opponent was starting to get to Amie, and so she pushed away with her armored limbs and the two deadly-looking warriors circled one another slowly, each looking for a potential opening in the other's defenses. While I was hoping that the match-up would be decidedly one-sided in Amie's favor, the long scrapes in my ally's red carapace and the unsure way that she moved pointed to a much fairer fight. Combine that with Scimitar's experience, viciousness, and speed, and even with only one working eye, it was clear that taking her down would not be easy.

And that was just the result of my calculations for a one-on-one bout. The heavy projectile that had buffeted Blackjack had certainly taken him by surprise, but he was already lifting the door off of himself and staring at the dueling Pokémon with bloodshot eyes. If he got involved, Amie was finished. All it would take would be one flaming punch to melt through her armor and then Scimitar could cause some serious damage. Therefore, my mission was clear. Even as my body summoned up the memory of the painful injuries I had suffered during our last bout, I knew that I would have to fight Blackjack. Distracting him would be a good start, but there was no point in stalling. These two had already firmly demonstrated that they were not going to give up and leave unless they were forced to. A draw would only be another word for defeat. If we wanted to survive, it would not be enough to merely not lose. I had to beat Blackjack badly enough that he would not, could not, threaten us again.

To achieve that goal, I began to direct my stored electrical energy to my muscles, awakening my body and heightening my speed and awareness. Over the sound of my pounding heart, I could hear the sounds of combat. Amie and Scimitar's sparring had begun. It sounded fierce, but I refused to be distracted from the task at hand. The taller Pokémon noticed my determined stare and tore his eyes away from the duel to meet it. Unsteadily, Blackjack started towards me, but his approach was interrupted by a stumble. He caught himself on the wall with one of his red gloved hands while the other reached across his stomach to clutch at his side. "You," he said to me, sounding more nauseous than angry as he raised his voice to be audible over the sirens. "Why do you keep interfering?" A couple of harsh coughs forced their way out of his throat, and then he continued, "This wasn't supposed to be so hard." The tan-skinned Hitmonchan took one more shaky step forward. "Capturing the Mew was not going to be easy, he told us that much, but she was going to stick out like a sore thumb once we got it to the mainland." He took another. "You helped it to survive, to blend in. If only I had killed you in the damned forest. It wouldn't be alive if it weren't for you. Do you think your master knows that?"

All of the talking instead of fighting was making me anxious, speeding up my already racing heart. But I did my best not to let the unease show when I said, "You're wrong. She has more than enough power to handle you scumbags, with or without me."

"But she never used it, did she?" the Hitmonchan asked, leaning on a long-dead computer for support as he caught his breath. "Not until she met you."

Neither of us spoke for a moment after that assertion, this silence covered by the wailing alarms, the ring of Amie and Scimitar's fight, and the shallow panting breaths of the muscular figure before me.

"Who are you working for?" I asked Blackjack, unable to hold the question in. "Who sent you after her?"

That got a small reaction out of the injured Pokémon. "You don't know? But then, why are you…?" He shook his head slowly. "There are worse things than us, little Pikachu. You know that. You've met one of them." The blood pulsing through my veins ran cold, but I did not look away from the slowly slinking humanoid creature. Blackjack came nearer, but then passed me altogether, diverting his path to step around me, giving me a wide berth. The Hitmonchan turned around and then proceeded to start backing up, even as we remained focused on one another. "Why did you help it?" he asked in a hoarse voice. "Why risk your life for some stranger?"

Now, he was approaching the empty doorframe and I hoped that this meant that he was retreating. While my revved-up body was more baffled than anything by that, I was praying that he would take the easy way out, leaving Scimitar behind to be taken care of by Amie with my assistance. If all I had to do was keep talking while he thought he was executing a stealthy withdrawal, well, I could do that. "Because I-"

I did not get the chance to answer his question, because in that moment, Blackjack stopped playing the part of the grievously injured defeatist and moved with breathtaking speed. His right arm released his ribs and seized the fireman's axe sunk into the now-defunct control panel. The other, meanwhile, reached down and roughly raised a small brown shape, which gave a sharp yelp of surprise and dropped something that clattered softly to the floor.

Once my mind had finished comprehending what I was seeing, the new arrival's identity became apparent. "Di?" I gasped. Sure enough, it was the very same Eevee, suspended now by the scruff of her neck and writhing and snapping at her captor. Something metallic glinted under the white fur that covered her neck.

Her squirming ceased in an instant as soon as Blackjack held the axe to her neck. He still looked strained and injured, but his eyes were shining with desperation. "You will tell the Mew to stand down and come with us peacefully, or else I am going to carve up this skulking little nobody." When I did not respond, he pressed the metal head of the bloodstained weapon closer to his captive's throat. "So," he asked sardonically, "how many lives is the legendary Mew worth?"

Time seemed to slow to a crawl. I had been so preoccupied with Blackjack and my senses had been so dulled by the side-effects of boosting my speed that I had failed to take into account my surroundings. In the heat of the moment, when it would have been most useful, I had forgotten my trainer's lessons, and now I was faced with a horrible dilemma. A decision between causing death or surrender, and I was being forced to choose by a more powerful Pokémon who, for all intents and purposes, looked like he had nothing to lose.

My vision started to swim as I frantically scanned the small room for a way out of this situation, some kind of solution that would be revealed if only I could find the right details. Wherever I looked, however, there were no dazzling revelations, just a mounting sense of hopelessness.

The fight between Scimitar and Amie's new body had started out about as restrained as could be expected, but as the fighters each found themselves unable to gain the upper hand, any trace of decorum was abandoned. The duo was now engaged in a whirling dance of death, both combatants paying no mind to the drama playing out by the doorway or to the rotting corpses that their series of lunges and parries forced them to step on.

Di was looking at me, tears massing at the edges of her brown eyes as she struggled to pull as far away from the axe head as she could manage. The immobilized creature was trying to mouth something to me through gritted teeth, but my head was swimming and I could not read her lips. My incomprehension must have been written on my face because she finally blurted out in frustration, "The stone!"

Her captor's response was to press his weapon even more firmly against her throat, replacing her vocalized hint with a sharp gasp of pain. Even as he roughly stepped up his threat to his hostage, Blackjack was focused on me, not her. "What is it going to be, Pikachu? Time's almost up."

I desperately tried to figure out what on Earth that clue was supposed to mean as Di was reduced to hyperventilating, her eyes scrunching as if that might somehow stave off her impending doom. By sheer chance, my eyes dropped to look at the object that Di had dropped when she had been discovered, a brown paper bag. As I did so, I caught sight of the object that lay inside, its shiny jade surface reflecting some of the lights of the alarm system. I assumed that was the stone, but with Blackjack waiting to act at a moment's notice, there did not seem to be a way for me to get to it without Di losing her furry little head.

Again, she caught my bewilderment and started to speak, but I cut her off, saying to her oppressor, "Okay, you win. Just let her go."

Di attempted to look angry, but could not hide the relief evident on her face. Blackjack also looked pleased, and he relaxed just a little bit. That was all I needed. I launched a small arc of electricity at Blackjack's purple feet. If I had taken the time to build up any real power behind the attack, the Hitmonchan would have had the time to react, most likely by swinging that blood-stained axe. As it was, he stepped back in surprise and spread his arms enough that Di was no longer in immediate danger of being beheaded. I took the opportunity to dive across the tile floor and grabbed the crumbled, non-descript brown paper bag in my front paws. As it came into my possession, I saw the contents of the sack. Inside was a single stone possessing a smooth, polished green surface that looked like glass, marred only by the striking image of a yellow lightning bolt. The gem seemed to radiate a strange energy, and I recognized what it was in an instant: a Thunder Stone.

The decision of whether or not to evolve me was one that my trainer and I had considered for a while during my time traveling with him, but eventually we had decided against it. I was rather content with my form and abilities as a Pikachu, and my trainer did not think it was worth it to press the issue, especially considering my already formidable talents at battling. Still, we had both thought about it. Now, years later, I was faced with the same dilemma. Only this time, the stakes were much higher than winning a few Pokémon tournaments. Would it be worth it, undergoing the permanent process of evolution and change, to protect Amie, and Di too?

The precious cargo was separated from my paws only by the thin layer of brown paper. If it was not for that lone barrier, I would be touching it and the energy from the Thunder Stone would have already began the process of changing me, permanently altering me into a Raichu for the rest of my days. As it was, I still had a choice. But what a choice it was. Could I really be so selfish as to put my own comfort over the safety of others? I might not have been able to imagine myself as a Raichu, but neither could I face myself if anything bad happened to either of them.

All of these thoughts raced through my fevered mind in the span of a few seconds. With each moment of hesitation, Blackjack was closer to recovering from his shock and retaliating with deadly force. Either I had to seize the stone and let its power wash over me and change me or I had to find another way to save Di's life, but a decision had to be made and had to be made quickly.


	26. Chapter 26

Although I was laying there on the ground with thoughts and blood swirling around in my head, Blackjack had not been considerate enough to grant me the time to think about the Thunder Stone I had found in a calm, rational manner. No, the looming figure instead decided to completely change gears from threatening the helpless Pokémon clenched in his left hand in favor of bringing the axe clenched in his right down on me. With my muscles powerful and alert, I was ready to attempt a leap out of the way of the swinging weapon as soon as I heard it begin its descent. It almost was enough, but unfortunately, my sense of hearing, dulled as it was by the pounding in my head, did not pick up the whistling of the air sliced by axe's falling blade in time to make a clean getaway. It was close, but close did not stop the axe from slicing through me and sinking partially into the floor below me.

What it felt like was as if one of my extremities had burst into flame, a horrible searing sensation that overwrote every single other piece of sensory input that my body was trying to direct to my brain. The electricity stopped flowing to my muscles in an instant as my mind seemed to forget how to do anything nearly so complicated in the face of this explosion of pain. This time, unlike my last fight with the Hitmonchan, I was not able to grit my teeth and suffer quietly. Instead, I screamed, a loud harsh wail that rang in my head. That exclamation left my throat ragged, so I bit my tongue to halt my shrieking and finished rolling over onto my back, still holding the bag containing the Thunder Stone.

As I moved over, I felt my tail pull away from the axe that had nearly cleaved the end of it in two, and knew that the blood in my mouth was nothing more than a trickle compared to what was spurting out of the gaping cut through my once magnificent lightning bolt-shaped tail. That part of my body had once been a vital component, a cluster of nerves that assisted with balance, directing my electric attacks, and a dozen other important functions. Once it was a proud, unyielding extension of my will, but when I had pushed myself onto my back, it had followed after limply, flopping pathetically after its owner.

Still, even with the pain and the blood loss, I was alive. That was something. Plus, Blackjack had sacrificed posing an immediate threat to Di in order to take a swing at me. By launching an assault on me, he had removed the blood-stained weapon from its proximity to the Eevee, which meant that I had precious seconds to act without having to fear for her life. And so act I did. Even as the pain was still making a violent assault on all of my attempts at coherent thought, the sensation of having part of my body sliced by the axe had somehow given me an idea.

Pushing through my agony, I began charging up, calling upon my body's natural dynamo. It was harder than usual, and I could only hope that this was due to the more fleeting factors of my fear and pain than the more permanent matter of my tail losing its integrity. Still, enough of the power was still there, although it felt fainter, less real than I was used to. I felt my cheeks warm and my fur stand on end as I gathered electricity, but I also felt my wound speak up with newfound volume. I tried to focus not on the pain, but on the power, and when I had enough, I started releasing it in a steady stream of yellow arcs towards the weapon still firmly gripped in Blackjack's red gloved hand.

My aim was not to harm the larger Pokémon, the heavy insulation covering the Hitmonchan's hands made that part of his body an unappetizing target for my electric attacks. No, my energy was instead being channeled towards the head of the axe, forming a constant link between me and the weapon. As I poured my essence into my target, it began to waver, vibrating with increasing intensity in the hands of its wielder. The wooden handle did not conduct the electricity, but that was not my intention. With greater exertion, I pushed myself harder and increased the intensity of my conduit, even though there was a corresponding increase in the throbbing, burning pain in my tail along with it. The axe began to shake even more and finally wrenched itself out of Blackjack's grip, nearly snapping his wrist as it soared through the air and landed with a heavy clang of metal on metal as the magnetized axe head sought out and attached itself to the nearest section of the basement's steel walls.

Deprived of his weapon and surprised by the unexpected turn of events, the lithe humanoid figure was not paying attention to Di. With her captor distracted, the small Pokémon had started squirming and writhing in his grip. It seemed as if her motions served no purpose at all, just fighting for the sake of fighting, and I have to admit that it was not just Blackjack who discounted her struggling. It seemed like something not worth paying attention to, until the Hitmonchan lowered his left arm without thinking about it and the furry little creature dipped precariously close to me. Her legs kicked wildly and her bushy brown and white tipped tail thrashed about as well, but that last part of her body was not acting without purpose. Di kept her tail's radius of activity limited and focused, as if she were searching for something. And then, without warning, she found it.

Her exquisite tail poked into the brown paper bag that I was still holding and touched the Thunder stone. As soon as the Eevee made contact with the green glass of the gem, her entire body began to glow from within with a blinding white light. Her form became obscured by this dazzling illumination, and then she started to shift. This was not like when Amie underwent her transformations, this was less physical and more ethereal, weightier somehow. I knew what it was, of course: evolution. A few times I had even been privileged enough to see it up close and personal. But no matter how many times I witness the transformation, I am sure that it will never completely lose its luster and mystery.

In the heat of battle, those elements were only accentuated. The shape underneath the glow began to shift more firmly, ushering Di into her new body. Without a sound, the Eevee's legs extended into even longer, more graceful limbs and her face grew sharper. Her smooth fur stiffened and extended into innumerable, long deadly points, with a ring of them appearing around her neck. This prodigious growth did not yield in the face of Blackjack's gloves, but rather tore through them without hesitation, long glowing spikes puncturing the heavy crimson coverings and the hands underneath without a care for the flesh and blood that got in their way. The sharp daggers of fur also caused something to fall from Di's neck, a shredded piece leather collar with a small metal tag that contained a few lines of an address and was headed by simple block letters declaring the wearer's name to be "Diana".

By the time I had finished reading the dropped identification and lifted my eyes back up, Di had finished her transformation. She was no longer an Eevee, but a bristling Jolteon, already crackling with the newfound electrical powers that she possessed. Blackjack had dropped her to the ground, but it was not nearly so great a drop as it would have been in her old body. She landed easily on the tile floor, shifting her unfamiliar weight around only a little bit while producing a fierce snarl at the wounded Hitmonchan. I can only guess how Di had imagined how she might evolve, but I was sure that she did not picture the event taking place in the basement of a desolate casino and having blood in her fur immediately afterwards. But what might have been is just an illusion, a cruel fantastical trap. This was her reality now.

Blackjack was now cradling his lacerated hand in his other arm and staring helplessly at the deadly Jolteon that had replaced the helpless Eevee he had seen fit to use as a captive. Any traces of defiance had gone out of him and his eyes were wide with fear and panic. It was with only the barest hint of amusement that I saw our suddenly outgunned foe looking towards the empty doorway as he had done before, not deceitfully, but looking for an honest-to-God escape route.

The light had also attracted the attention of Amie and Scimitar, and they paused their parallel fight in order to gaze with wonder at the wondrous sight. Ever the pragmatist, the Scyther quickly saw the utility in such a distraction and delivered a heavy double-scythed blow to Amie's side, causing her to fall to the ground from the shock of the sudden and powerful attack. The transformed Mew held up her red armored arms to shield herself from the sudden flurry of strikes that Scimitar was delivering, and their ferocity was such that even Amie's thick red armor was becoming scratched and worn.

There seemed to be no way for Amie to rise back up to her feet. All she could do was stay hunched low and attempt to ward off the battering she was receiving. Blackjack looked as if he wanted to ask Scimitar for help with his own situation, but the saurian Pokémon was too caught up in her gleeful orgy of violence to notice his pleading gaze. I was also looking at the two fighters with what I am sure was a similar look of horror and desperation, except my concern was not for myself, but for Amie. Di was the only one who saw the pained look of helplessness on my face and cared enough to do anything about it.

"Zeke," she said in a voice that was almost as sharp as her deadly coat of fur, "what is it?" I did not say anything in response, just continued watching Amie's defenses get chipped away at, so she spoke again, attempting to moderate her new tone, but only doing so haltingly and incompletely, "I… I can hold them off. Take her and go."

"What?"

"I'll attack that Scyther and distract her so you two can escape."

Words failed me and I could only look at her, my eyes swimming with a faint mist of gratitude. Then, I picked myself up, feeling my tail limp loosely behind me. After that, I started sprinting to Amie, heedless of the danger, just trusting Di to follow through on her promise. The last words I ever heard from her echoed wistfully behind me as I ran. "How could I ever compete with a goddess?"

Then, any sentimentality vanished as the air was ionized by a sudden blast of electricity emitted from the Jolteon's yellow-furred back and struck Scimitar's own rear. The Scyther turned towards this new threat with a hiss on her lips. Her sharp wings were twitching uncontrollably, but that did nothing to moderate the harsh beast's demeanor. Amie looked as if she might enter the fray again, but I caught her eye and broadcast a single, direct thought at her: _No_. Di launched another attack that caught Scimitar right in her green chest and sent a series of spasms throughout her body, although it was not debilitating enough to stop the steady march of the bladed Pokémon.

While her opponent was looking the other way, Amie melted back into her state between states, the crimson metal-coated insectoid warrior dissolving into a shapeless pink goo that immediately reformed itself into a soft pink-furred goddess. I grabbed her paw in my own as I passed, tugging her after me as I ran into the hallway leading to the tubes full of cloned Pokémon. Amie spared only one quick glance of her bright blue eyes backwards before she turned to look ahead with me at what we were running towards.

Through the short passageways we ran, following the same path that I had taken during my first night in this secret section of the basement. I did not have the energy in me to glow, so I instead relied on my memory to guide me through to the destination that I had in mind. Somehow Blackjack and Scimitar had managed to get into the casino's abandoned laboratory without triggering any alarms or knocking down the heavy steel door, and since neither of them were Ghost-type Pokémon, that pointed to a different entrance, a secret passageway that would lead out of this place while Di provided a much-needed distraction.

"Zeke, where are we going?" Amie asked me, but I did not answer because that would have meant slowing down. The room containing the large broken glass cylinder, where I assumed that Nemesis must have gestated in had been small and non-descript, but the other area, the one populated by the dead-eyed Meowth, had been large and sprawling. Since I had not fully explored it, I figured that what was left of Amie's pursuers had entered the casino into that room. It was the best shot that we had, but as we neared the room, I could feel Amie shudder in my gasp. "Zeke," she said breathily, "something's not right."

I could not resist muttering, "Yeah, tell me something I don't know."

But the legendary Mew would not let up. "I mean it! There's a-" She did not continue because at that point we rounded the corner and saw the room where the Meowth had been housed. This time, however, the whole place was lit by brilliant fluorescent lighting and all of the tanks had been smashed, soaking the floor with blue liquid, waste, and the inhabitants of those cylinders. The feline Pokémon had apparently never developed any motor functions, or maybe whatever surgical procedure had left the identical scars on their bald spots had robbed them of the ability to walk, but either way the end result was that the Meowth were flopping on the ground pathetically, mewling and burbling out more blue liquid that dribbled down to the floor. The whole floor was littered with them and it did not seem like there was not a way around them.

"They're empty!" Amie gasped in horror. "What's going on here?"

"I'll tell you soon, I promise. Let's focus on getting out of here first."

Thankfully, Amie did not argue with me, only floated higher until my feet were no longer touching the ground and we could glide over the assemblage of lobotomized Pokémon without fear of being dragged by their weakly grasping paws. There was a doorway on the far side of the room and Amie made a beeline for it, never stopping despite the worried look writ large on her soft features.


	27. Chapter 27

We burst out of the hidden entrance to the basement in a shower of debris and rubble as Amie punched a gaping hole in the wall with a mere flicker of her paw. The pieces of metal fell harmlessly against our pink shield, only making sounds of metal on metal when they clattered to the floor below. Heedless of any risk of exposure and hoping to ignore the audible clash behind us, my companion powered through the barrier and we emerged out into the rancid sky of the city of Celadon. There were no stars; the bright lights drowned out any of those pathetic pinpricks in the face of their garish neon hues. That being said, there was still an odd kind of beauty to the vision that we were zooming past, as our speed reduced the tacky signs and advertisements to an incoherent blur of electric blues, greens, and pinks. If we were lucky, Amie's bright pink bubble would be lost among all of the other visual stimulation of the garish metropolis observed by whatever drunks and other lowlifes were still awake. I did not think that likely, however. We positively outshone all of the other spectacles of the city.

Amie did not speak until we were high above the teetering apartment complexes that covered the southeastern corner of the city, and even then all she said was, "Where are we going?"

The shock of being put on the spot so suddenly combined with my total mental exhaustion from the fight and lack of sleep left me totally tongue-tied. My brain attempted to rally and a few pathetic attempts at thoughts were quickly replaced by more robust specimens as I explored my mental map of the country in search of a place that might provide a refuge. As much as I hated it, taking into account all of the places we had already been and the topography of the country, there was only one place that I could think of to go.

"Head south," I said wearily. Thankfully, Amie did not ask for any explanations or reasons why we should head in that direction and so I did not have to linger on my memories of the place I had chosen. Instead, I just watched the scenery beneath our feet as I tried to hold my torn ear together. I was not bleeding too severely, but the wounds were still fresh enough that the liquid was pooling at the bottom of Amie's ball of psychic energy, soaking into the fur of my hind paws, to say nothing of the drenching I was getting from holding onto the raw flesh. If my friend saw how my wounds leaked, she said nothing, only focusing on driving us further along by sheer force of will.

The river that we were following had been so thoroughly polluted by the waste of Celadon that you could get horribly ill just from spending a few minutes in it. Of course, all of that filth naturally flowed downstream out into the Seafoam Sea, spreading like a cancer as far as it could reach. But in the darkness before dawn, there was no activity on the river or its banks, just the rushing rapids reflecting the pink glow of our means of transportation back up at me. It looked tranquil, serene, a sharp contrast to the chaotic scene we had just left. For I do not know how long, I stood standing in the shallow puddle of my own blood, staring at the sights below. The only thing that shook me out of my thoughtless trance was Amie's voice.

"Zeke, do you know where we're going?" she asked in a soft, gentle voice.

There was not anything in my head, so her words bounced around aimlessly until I could get a firm grasp of their meaning and formulate a response. "A place I didn't think I'd ever go back to."

There was another pause, and then came the patient response, "And exactly where would that be?"

"Oh, right!" Another frantic series of whirling occurred in my brain. "There's a city built around the mouth of the river. Once we get there, I can give you more directions."

"A city?" the legendary Pokémon asked without sparing a glance back at me. "Don't you worry about there being a danger of, well…"

"Being caught?"

Her silence was answer enough.

I shifted from one foot to the other and gave my shifted my feet in a futile effort to try and shake the congealing blood off of them. "It'll just be for a short time. We'll be careful." Without being able to see her face, I could not tell if she was convinced or not, so I just kept on trying to convince her. "Hurt like I am, I really need to get somewhere where I can recover. This place is good for that."

"But will we be safe?"

"Of course," I said, but there was not much force behind my assertion. The picture that I was painting for Amie was astonishingly rosy in its assumptions, but the truth was that I was making a pretty large gamble. It was not like we exactly had a wealth of options though. I just did not know where else to turn.

Amie returned her focus to our flight path and we continued along the river towards a horizon covered with lights. Before we got too close, I turned my gaze skyward, and there they were: the stars. They had not been extinguished by the smog and glow of Celadon after all, only concealed temporarily. Long before the first skyscraper had ever been raised and long after the last one had crumbled, the stars would still be there. What was the lifetime of a building in comparison to the stars, to say nothing of the span of a human or a Pokémon's life? It was another beautiful sight, another beautiful contrast. But it could not last, the stars returned to hiding, drowned out even by the more modest light pollution of a smaller city.

Fuchsia was at once a settlement similar to and wholly different from the place we had just left. Many wild Pokémon, especially those without any actual experience of life, seemed to completely buy into the idea that if you had seen one gathering of humans and their buildings you had seen them all. All this ignoring the fact that there was a world of difference between a one-Ponyta hamlet and a bustling metropolis. While Fuchsia was certainly not the former, it was much closer to that extreme than Celadon was. Traditional buildings, some of them hundreds of years old, were lingering remnants of the country's imperial past, with onion-shaped domes and elaborate facades characterizing the most prestigious landmarks, the churches and government buildings, as well as some of the more well-to-do neighborhoods. The less fortunate people lived in less ambitiously designed living conditions, including a number of ugly imperfectly rectangular apartment complexes that had been advertised as the scientific peak of housing when they had first been built several decades ago. Then time had taken its toll and the overcrowded-to-begin-with apartments became more and more ramshackle and ill-kept. Unlike its more garish neighbor up the river, the city government of Fuchsia had not been so eager to throw its historical authenticity out in order to build casinos and strip malls. That had helped to maintain the area's charm, but may also have kept the city in a constant slump despite being the second most important port in all of Kanto.

None of these details were readily apparent during our approach, and only a few of the more physical aspects of the city were identifiable as Amie took us down in her big pink bubble. Actually, I knew most of this information from having lived here. This was the place where I had lived for most of my life. It felt more like home to me than even the Viridian Forest where I had been born. Despite all of that, I had not been back to Fuchsia in years. It had been the memories that had made me want to come back and other memories that had kept me away, but after everything that we had been through, I was going back to the same place where I had been taken by my trainer, back when I had a trainer, and back before he had gotten sick and died while all I could do was watch him wither away. After more than five years, I was finally returning to Fuchsia.

All of that did not need to be stated to Amie. Not now, at least. The only words that I spoke were directions through the winding, narrow streets of old neighborhoods that I had walked down countless times before, and the only words that my companion offered me in return were simple, monosyllabic acknowledgments of my instructions. Whenever I was in danger of getting too caught up in nostalgia, a quick glance at the moon sinking towards the horizon served as a stark reminder of the limited window of time we had to get where we were going. Our destination was not an apartment and not a mansion either, but rather a small, barely middle-class house with a chipped coat of dark blue paint and off-white shutters on the window that gradually became more and more illuminated as the sun started to rise, spreading long shadows down on us from where we stood on the concrete stoop.

"Listen," I said to Amie. We had landed about a block away and walked the rest of the way to the house. That was to allow the blood that had collected on the bottom of the psychic sphere to splatter harmlessly on the street instead of on the front step of our final destination. That would not have made for a good impression after all. "It's important that you look as normal as possible to them. They can't know you're Mew, they can't have any idea."

"Who? Who?"

I swallowed nervously, but did not answer the question. "Of course, you'll have to return to your normal state when you sleep so we'll have to find a secluded place for-"

"Zeke! Why are we here?" the pink-furred Pokémon yelled, echoing in the quiet of the empty city.

"We're here to get help from the only humans who might be able to keep everything under wraps. My trainer's parents."

That must not have been the answer she had been expecting, because Amie had to take a few seconds to think about this. When she finally did speak, it was in her much quieter, softer voice, "But they tried to sell you, right?"

"To pay for the medical bills, but that's not really a concern anymore, is it?"

It was a horrible joke, and so naturally it fell flat, just leaving the two of us standing there awkwardly in front of a house, a blood-stained Pikachu and a goddess. I looked into Amie's wide blue eyes and nodded. In that single motion, there was both an attempt reassurance and a signal for her to transform into a less conspicuous form.

I could not be sure if she received the first message, but she did begin to undergo the process shifting into a new body. The Pokémon that had ferried me across the river dissolved into a gelatinous pile of pink goo, fur and limbs melting away into a single shapeless mass. Then, this pile of flesh began to reconstruct itself, with ears, paws, and a tail all emerging from the pink goop. A whole body was created, a kind of roughly-hewn clay figure, completely pink and without any distinguishing features on her smooth surface. After that, a field of fur spread across the transforming Pokémon, white at first, but then changing color to match the same pattern as my own, brown stripes stretching across Amie's back and red coloring her cheeks. As the transformation began to wind down, the imitation Pikachu did a quick check to make sure that everything was right and proper with her new body. Normally, her face would have been bright, delighting in the feeling of being something else with all of the perks and abilities that came with that, but this time her eyes were solid, her mouth tight, and her expression determined.

I gave her a once-over as well even as I tried not to make it so readily apparent that I was doing so. Left without any more excuses and with the sun's rays starting to peek through the streets, there was no reason not to proceed with my plan. Still holding my torn ear with one hand, I stretched myself up to my full height and reached with my free paw for the button by the side of the door. When I pressed it, I could hear a faint buzzing sound emitted from inside of the house. Deciding not to leave anything to chance, I rang the doorbell twice more in quick succession, producing two more identical sounds. After that, there was nothing that I could do except wait.

Amie gave me another unreadable look, but I only met her gaze briefly before returning to look at the door before us. There was some kind of commotion from inside of the house, a mix of footsteps and muffled grumbling. Then came the clicking and scraping of multiple deadbolts as the door was unlocked and opened, revealing a large thick-necked human in a bathrobe with a few days' worth of stubble on his face. He blinked a few times and had to readjust his sightline considerably lower so that he could be looking at the Pokémon before him instead of at the human that he had been expecting. Having just woken up from his sleep, he was groggy and somewhat out of it, but that changed in an instant when he saw my bloodied wounds and then a flash of recognition mingled with the horror etched on his heavily-lined face. "Ezekiel?"


End file.
